Once Upon a Time
by xTongueTied
Summary: SwanQueen. Long-term fiction, starting when Henry finds Emma in Boston. Pretty canon. SQ moments from chapter 5. *I do not own any of the characters*
1. Chapter 1

A/N: this is my first fanfic for OUAT. I'm definitely a fan of the series; this will be a SwanQueen story from Emma's POV, starting from the day Henry comes to get her in Boston. The dialogues and story-line pretty much follow the series, though some scenes may be changed. Excuse any grammatical errors – English is not my first language. R&amp;R please. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters and only make them dance for my amusement. Please note though that I have used some of the exact lines said during the first episode. These are obviously not my creation.

And last but not least, a shout-out to my beta MsCalypso. Thanks for always putting up with me.

Chapter 1

Emma Swan closed the door of her apartment behind her. She was exhausted. Quickly, she kicked off her heels and stumbled to the counter in her kitchen, where she gently put her bag of take-out food. She had just been on a 'date', which actually hadn't been a date, just her doing her job. She snickered quietly as she shook her head. She was flabbergasted at the nerve the man had shown; how he'd just betrayed his lovingly wife. But most of all, she was outraged that he had knocked over the table, thus spilling the drinks on her dress, and had then insulted her after she caught him running.

Emma didn't even bother to turn on the lights in her kitchen; she just took out the box of pastries out of its bag and put the sole cupcake on a tiny plate. Next, she fetched little birthday candles from the paper bag. She wasn't feeling very celebratory, as she was once again spending her birthday alone, just like the previous twenty-eight years. A small sigh escaped her as she put the candle into the cupcake, licking some cream of her fingers. She hoped she still had some matches lying in a drawer, or else she'd bought this all for nothing. Grumbling, she rummaged through a few kitchen drawers until she finally found them. With slightly trembling fingers, she managed to stroke the match over the boxes' side. For a moment, Emma stopped and simply stared at the little flame. She knew what she would be wishing for, the same thing as every year: that she would not be alone for her next birthday.

"Another banner year." She closed her eyes and focused on the thought as she inhaled to blow out the candle. As soon as it was unlit, the doorbell rang. The blonde frowned as she got up from her stool. She wasn't expecting anyone. Attentively, she walked to the door, and once more drew a deep breath before she opened it. At first, she was staring right ahead into an empty corridor, but then she finally looked down and saw a little boy staring up at her. She was completely confused. For a little while, Emma just stared at him, not knowing what to say.

"Uhm. Can I help you?" She finally managed, frowning deeper than ever.

"Are you Emma Swan?" He asked. He didn't look older than ten.

"Yeah. Who are you?"

"My name's Henry. I'm your son." He smiled at her. Emma blinked. She couldn't believe what she just heard him say. But she was pretty sure that he had said it. Before she was really aware of it, he'd already made his way into her apartment by ducking under her arm.

"Hey, kid. Kid. Kid!" She yelled after him, as she shut the door. "I don't have a son. Where are your parents?" She was starting to panic as Henry looked around her living room.  
Finally, he paused at the counter, where she just had been sitting.

"Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?" She was truly speechless by now. Was he really her son, the one she had given up so many years ago? If he was, what the hell was he doing here? And how on earth did a ten year old kid find her? She usually was very good at staying hidden when she didn't want to be found. But that made her wonder: hadn't she just wished to not be alone anymore? Had she really wanted to stay hidden?

"That was me." Henry said. Emma was shocked now.

"Give me a minute." She finally choked out, and she quickly turned to hide in the bathroom. She started heaving, on the verge of having a panic attack. She couldn't believe what she had just seen, heard and done. Had she really just had a conversation with her son about having given him up for adoption ten years ago? Who the hell would let a kid off to find their birth mother alone? She shook her head, not knowing what to do or think.

"Man up, Swan." She muttered to herself before she returned to her kitchen, where the boy sat sipping a bottle of juice. She blinked.

"We should get going." The kid now said. Again, Emma blinked. What? She crossed her arms before in a defensive demeanor, and raised an eyebrow.

"Going where?" She asked, her tone skeptical.

"I want you to come home with me."

"Okay, kid," She retorted. "I'm calling the cops."

"I'll just tell them you kidnapped me." Of all the things he had said tonight, this was the thing that baffled her the most. He showed up on her doorstep, insisted her to come to his home, and was now threatening to make her the bad guy? Wow, this kid had some nerve. Maybe he was hers after all.  
She picked up the phone and turned to face him.

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother." She stated, knowing she had no chance. But then she studied his face carefully, and a gut-feeling told her that he wouldn't ever say that. She smiled.

"Yep." He said victoriously.

"You're not going to do that."

"Try me." He still smiled at her, and Emma now returned the smile.

"You're pretty good. Look, there's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill. Let's call it a super power," She had to remind herself that she was talking to a ten year old, so she kept things simple. Super power was something kids understood, right? She honestly thought she was wasting her time here, and that she should just phone the cops and have them take him home. But something prevented her from finally pressing 911 and getting it over with.

"I can tell when anyone is lying, and you, kid, are." She finished, deciding she'd had enough of this.

"Wait. You don't have to call the cops. Please," He pleaded. "Come home with me."

"Where's home?" The twenty-eight year old gave in. It couldn't be that far, since the kid had travelled all by himself.

"Storybrooke, Maine." Okay, she had been mistaken. He had travelled a long way.

"Storybrooke? Seriously?" She sighed. He simply nodded. "Alrighty then, let's get you back to.. Storybrooke." She shook her head and left the room to change out of her stained dress, and into something more comfortable.

The drive to Henry's town had been awkward. And maybe 'awkward' was an understatement, because it had been bizarre, too. He had rambled on about a book full of fairytales, and was convinced that the people in his town were people from the fairytales. Only, they didn't realize they were. According to Henry, they had lost their memories – because the Evil Queen had cursed them. She didn't believe a word of it, but she did believe that the kid had either a problem or a vivid imagination. She concentrated on the road and almost succeeded in ignoring the fact that she was driving her ten-year old kid to a town she'd never heard of. The trip edged 'ridiculous' when Henry told Emma that she was in the book too. She? Emma Swan? A fairytale character? Hilarious. It took all she had not to just snort at the kid's words. Thankfully, it didn't take them too long to arrive in Storybrooke. But her son wasn't done with his little games yet; next, he refused to tell her where he lived. Furiously, she stomped on her brakes and got out of the car, only to bump into Henry's shrink, Archie. But Henry claimed him to be Jiminy Cricket. If the whole situation hadn't seemed crazy to Emma before, it surely did now.

"You've got problems, kid," The blonde mumbled after they'd finally gotten back into her car.

"Yep, and you're going to fix them." If Emma hadn't been so irritated with him, she'd probably had laughed at his boldness. At least the whole encounter with 'Jiminy Cricket' had resulted in her finding out where the kid lived. The Mayor's house. Seriously. Emma had a feeling she'd be in a lot of trouble. The fricken Mayor. She shook her head visibly.  
They pulled up at a huge house, surrounded by an equally huge hedge. Probably to keep out curious outsiders, and to keep the garden quiet and private. Emma liked it.

"Come on." She mumbled to Henry as she got out of the car. She waited for him before the gate, and opened it as soon as he was by her side.

"Please don't take me back there," Henry whined, half-begging.

"Your parents will be worried sick about you." The blonde retorted, eager to get the kid off her hands. It was insane that she hadn't just called up the cops.

"I don't have parents," Henry said. "Just a mom, and she's evil." Emma almost rolled her eyes at him. She paused and turned to him, her face obviously skeptical as she stared down on him.

"Evil? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?" She snorted.

"She is. She doesn't love me, she only pretends to." The kid sounded really sad now, and the twenty-eight-year old almost felt sorry for him. She crouched down to his level, and looked him in the eye.

"Kid…" She started. "I'm sure that's not true –"  
Before she could continue to comfort the little boy, the door opened. A dark-haired, tall woman hurried outside, her face full of concern. Emma got up and stared; this had to be Henry's adoptive mother – and the Mayor. She was impressed, the woman couldn't be older than thirty. At all. She studied the Mayor's face with interest. She was truly stunning. Emma blinked at these thoughts.

"Henry?!" She ran towards him, her arms already outstretched to hug him. The blonde was impressed, because the woman was wearing quite high heels – and she didn't even stumble once as she ran. In the doorway, a man stood watching. Emma paid little attention to him as she watched Henry not really return the hug to his mother.

"Are you okay?" The Mayor asked, voice a little hoarse. Emma found it pleasant to listen to.

"Where have you been?! What happened?" Henry's mother finally looked at the blonde, but quickly returned her gaze upon Henry.

"I found my REAL mom!" He said, before running past Emma, his mother and the man in the doorway. The Mayor finally turned to Emma, she was obviously impatient to hear an explanation for all of this. Emma Swan just stared into the woman's dark brown eyes, not sure what to say. All she saw in those dark pools was hurt and sadness. She really felt sorry for the woman, even though she didn't know her.

"You – you're Henry's birth mother?" The Mayor finally managed. Emma was late to register the question, as she was still mesmerized by the woman's beauty. She swallowed.

"Hi." Emma Swan said, feeling a little desperate. She really didn't mean to interfere in their lives at all. She never meant to meet her son.


	2. Chapter 2

***I do not own any of these characters. If there are any dialogues taken from the episodes literally, I do not own these either.***

Chapter 2

The next thing Emma knew was waking up in a cell. Confused, she pushed herself up from the bed. What in hell was she doing on a poorly made bed in a cell? Was she still in Storybrooke?

"Ow," She muttered, once she sat up straight. Her head felt very heavy, and her forehead pounded painfully. She probably had smashed it against something. She blinked a few times before she took the time to check her surroundings. Yep, definitely a cell.

"Good morning, babe," A grumpy-sounding voice said. The blonde turned her head and saw a man sitting in the cell next to her.

"Leroy, don't be rude." Another voice said, thick with an Italian accent. She was thoroughly confused now. How had she gotten here?  
By the time she got the strength to stand up, ready to ask questions, the sheriff had already arrived.

"Mayor Mills drinks can be quite.. strong." He said; his expression clearly amused. Emma frowned. That wasn't what happened. She vaguely remembered driving back to the town's borders, only to notice that Henry had left his book in the car. She admired that little kid's trickeries.

"No!" She now said, shaking her head fiercely. "There was a wolf. I slipped."  
The man in the cell next to hers and the sheriff both laughed.

"There are no wolves here, little miss," the other prisoner said.

"Leroy, I can let you out if you stop being so rude." Sheriff Graham reprimanded him. Leroy simply rolled his eyes and waited for the Sheriff to open up his cell.

Emma Swan let herself fall back onto the bed as she pained herself into remembering the previous night. So far, she only remembered little things, such as driving Henry to this damned town. She cursed herself inwardly. Why had she let that kid bully her into coming here? It had only brought on bad things. There had been drinks at the Mayor's house too… Introductions with Regina Mills, a drink, a discussion about parenthood…  
But nothing that could indicate that Emma in fact had been drunk when she started her journey back to Boston. So the wolf couldn't be a fiction of her imagination. She already felt irritated with the Sheriff. Shouldn't he at least check if there was a wolf nearby? I mean, he should guarantee the safety of this town's people, no? Emma huffed visibly, but got no reaction from Graham other than a smile.

"Graham! He's missing again!" The voice came from the hall, but Emma easily recognized it. Mayor Mills, no doubt. And soon, the woman burst through the door, clearly panicking. It was strange that she actually recognized the voice, having only heard it once before. She pursed her lips as she watched Regina Mills from her cell. Graham jumped up and was at the Mayor's side in no time.

"Wait. Graham, what is she still doing here?" Regina had just spotted the blonde in the cell.

"Believe me, I have no intention on still being here," Emma grumbled in response, venturing to the cell's door now. "But wait – is Henry missing? Again?"

The twenty-eight-year old did all she could to make her comment less mocking. What kind of mother lost her son – twice? Either Regina wasn't a good mother, or the kid was really clever for his age.  
Regina and Graham decided to ignore her as the brunette explained to the sheriff what happened. Emma rolled her eyes. Surely, she could find the kid in no time.

"Check his friends." The blonde commented from her cell, hopefully earning a release from her prison with that.

"He doesn't have many friends, Miss Swan," Regina spat back at her.

Emma frowned. A loner, huh? Just like her. Maybe that kid had inherited more from her than would be good for him.

"Just check his computer." Emma shrugged, as if the solution was logical. That's the first thing she did when she wanted to find someone.

"This is absolutely none of your business!" Regina bit curtly.

Emma wasn't surprised with that answer. After all, she didn't really want to get involved in all this drama; if she lost Henry, she should get him back herself.

"Actually, Madam Mayor, it's a good idea," Graham tried carefully. He was obviously scared of the Mayor, and Emma couldn't blame him. The woman was drop dead gorgeous, and seriously intimidating. The blonde pursed her lips as she saw the brunette hesitate. But Graham took the opportunity and walked over to Emma's cell, keys already in hand. Emma grinned widely.

"Fine. But you better come with us," Regina sounded angry. The twenty-eight-year old rolled her eyes quite obviously, and stormed out of the cell, happy to be out.

She had sat in front of Henry's computer for about five minutes, when she realized that it had been a bad idea to join the search hunt. Regina was impatient and the kid was obviously clever. Deleted search history, wonderful. Emma sighed heavily. She'd hoped to get this over with fast, so she could return to Boston right after. Instead, she had to pull out every trick in the book to find the kid. Ten years old, for god's sake. Mayor Mills hovered right behind her, and normally the blonde would already have made a comment about it; she didn't really like people being so close to her. But somehow, she didn't mind that Regina was standing so close to her. Probably because she understood the worry the woman felt – she was feeling it too. She didn't really know the kid, but still… He was hers after all.

"Got it." Emma said, overlooking the sites he had visited recently. Apparently, he had used a site to find her, and she was amused. A kid with a credit card? High expenses, too, and all of that just to find her. She couldn't help but feel a little flattered – nobody had ever gone through that much trouble to find her. Especially Henry's father hadn't looked for her – ever.

"Who is Mary Margaret Blanchard?" Emma asked quietly, proud of her son that he hadn't used Regina's.

"His teacher." Was the response the brunette gave her.

The blonde had followed Regina out all the way to the school where Mary Margaret Blanchard taught classes. She kept her distance as the Mayor stormed ahead. Emma made a mental note that it was better not to cross Regina Mills – ever. She paused at the door, especially when she heard the dark haired woman rage to another. She felt sorry for the unknown figure, and wanted to interfere. Obviously, Miss Blanchard had no idea that the card had been stolen from her. She couldn't imagine that a teacher would do that. And as she listened to the woman defending herself, her gut-feeling told her that Mary Margaret was telling nothing but the truth.  
Emma walked into the classroom now, but kept close by the door. She frowned. The Mayor really was being unnecessarily harsh, especially when Mary Margaret mentioned giving the book to Henry.

"Why does everyone keep blabbering about this... book? What is it?" The Mayor sounded exasperated, and the blonde couldn't blame her. If she had raised Henry and discovered in front of strangers that she knew so little about him…

"It's just a book of fairy tales." Emma quickly said, hoping to soothe Regina. Unfortunately.  
She watched Regina storm out of the classroom, probably to return to the sheriff's. In her anger, she knocked over some boxes, and Emma hurried to help pick up the things that had fallen out. Mary Margaret simply sighed and moved over, too.

"Why'd you give him the book?" The twenty-eight year old asked quietly. In her opinion, it had only caused trouble, and she couldn't quite understand the meaning behind the teacher's actions.

"He's lonely. He needed it." The woman smiled sweetly, and Emma couldn't help but return the smile.

"But still…" Emma mused.

"He needs hope. He really has a hard life." The teacher motioned her to follow, and together they walked out of the classroom.

"I understand that. Mayor Mills is…" She didn't finish her sentence, because she didn't know how to describe Regina. She was hard, but also.. So fragile. And beautiful. And sad. Emma decided to keep quiet and let Mary Margaret finish that thought herself.

"It's not just that, you see. He really struggles with.. What every adopted child struggles with, I would guess. He really wonders why on earth he was given up." The teacher had barely finished her sentence, or she already clamped her hand over her mouth. The words stung a little bit, but Emma couldn't blame her. She couldn't blame Henry. She wondered the same thing.

"I am so sorry!" They had stopped walking, and the blonde was looking at her feet. Her shoulders were a little slumped, as if she were wearing the weight of Miss Blanchard's words.

"It's okay." The blonde finally breathed.

"Look, I just wanted Henry have faith. I wanted him to believe in a happy ending."

"Do you know where he is?" Mary Margaret Blanchard nodded, and told Emma where she could find the kid.

And Henry's teacher had been right. She found him in his castle, in plain view for everyone to see. She wondered why his mother hadn't thought of this place first; but then she grasped that Regina probably didn't know of its existence. Emma sighed and fetched the book from her back seat, and made her way to the tiny playground. She wanted to get going, so she hurried.

"Hey, kid." She said, as she sat herself down beside him. She handed him the book, and smiled at him.

"You shouldn't run away this much, you know." She said, trying to sound like a mother. But who was she kidding? She didn't know how to be a mother. That's why she gave him up in the first place, and she hadn't regretted her decision ever since.

"I don't want to live with my mom. She's evil." Henry said, once more.

"No, she's not. She's just trying her best to give you a good life. There's nothing wrong with that, kid," Emma sighed. She couldn't believe that Regina Mills was evil.

"Yes, she is! And you're supposed to defeat her, you're the savior!" The kid really didn't give up, and Emma simply frowned.

"You feel guilty because you gave me up, but I understand why you did it. You wanted to give me a better life, just like Snow White and Prince Charming wanted to when they gave you up!" Henry continued, getting heated up in the discussion. This time, Emma laughed out loud.

"I'm sorry, what? I'm not Snow White's and Prince Charming's child," She didn't even try to keep the mock from her voice. "And I'm definitely not the savior. So let's get you back to your mother."

She didn't await his retort, and got up. She heard him scramble up behind her as she walked to her yellow Beagle, and waited for him to get in. During the drive there, they were both silent. She was convinced that the kid had some real problems, and she wasn't the one to fix them; but she could at least pass on the word to his mother.

As she pulled up for the second time in two days now, the door was already opening. Henry bolted from the car and straight up to his room, so Emma braced herself for the clash with his mother. She walked up to the door slowly, figuring she'd better stall for a little while.

"Thank you," Regina Mills was the first to speak. Emma had avoided her gaze by looking at the ground, but the soft and sincere tone made her look up. It startled her, even. The blonde simply smiled.

"I know he thinks I'm evil," The dark-haired woman sighed. "And that I don't love him. I'm a failure as a mother. He just keeps running away and I don't know what to do."

The twenty-eight-year old felt truly sorry for the woman in front of her. The Mayor sat down on the front steps at her door, and she followed, quickly sitting down next to Regina. Carefully, she placed a hand on the other woman's arm.

"It's just because of that book, Madam Mayor," She commented politely. "He thinks we are fairy tale characters." She shook her head to show her disapproval to the Mayor.

"Don't take it personally. You are a strong, independent and beautiful woman," She continued. "There's nothing wrong with trying to give your son the best he deserves."

Regina now looked at her, and smiled. Emma had never seen a smile as beautiful, and she returned the smile, feeling a blush rushing up to her cheeks. She felt particularly safe in the company of the woman, no matter how intimidating she looked and sounded to the people around her.

"You know… All my life I've felt so alone, and yesterday, on my birthday… I wished not to be alone. And Henry showed up." Sh1e whispered quietly, her green eyes now staring at her feet again. At this point, Regina openly stared at her, she felt it. Emma cleared her throat and got up, ready to get going.

"Miss Swan, you better return to Boston." The Mayor said, as she walked up to her front door. Emma shot her a confused look.

"Don't be mistaken; you are not invited back into Henry's life. I'm his mother, not you."  
The warning hung in the sky. And in that very moment, Emma Swan decided to stay in Storybrooke. For Henry. For herself.

* * *

Emma Swan's first meeting with Mr. Gold, the town owner, had been spooky. She wasn't sure of what to think about the man. Granny and Ruby certainly seemed afraid of him, eager to usher him out the door. But Mr. Gold had taken a strange interest in Emma, and had regarded her as if she were some prize. It had sent shivers down her spine to watch him look at her like that; she was quite sure that she had never seen him before, but he seemed to know her… As soon as he had walked out the door, she had felt a lot better. She shrugged it off and booked a room; something that hadn't been done in quite some time, according to Ruby. This was something Emma found even stranger than Mr. Gold.

When she woke up in a bed that wasn't hers, it took her some time to remind herself that she wasn't in Boston anymore. She wasn't sure if it felt pleasant being here, but it didn't feel unpleasant either. She decided to stay in bed for a little while longer before she ventured out to the town. She hadn't actually seen much of it yet. Unfortunately, someone else had other intentions with her morning: she had only barely laid herself back on the bed, when someone knocked.  
Grunting a little, she got up. Another knock made clear that the person on the other side of the door was impatient. Not bothering to put on pants – Emma had slept in her white top and underwear, not having packed any pajamas – she rushed to the door. She took a breath – opening doors had given her quite some surprises yesterday – and finally unlocked it. She was baffled to see the Mayor standing there.

"Yes?" She said. She didn't even wonder how on earth the brunette knew that she was here. That woman seemed to know everything, which – in the blonde's opinion – only meant that she was good at doing her job. She felt oddly exposed, standing there in her underwear as the older woman raked her eyes up and down her body. Emma swallowed. She didn't catch any of the babbling Regina uttered; something about trees and apples. She could only stare at the beautiful woman before her. Mayor Mills offered her a blood-red apple from the basket she was carrying, and hesitantly Emma took it.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy these on your drive home." Regina Mills ended her speech with a broad smile. The twenty-eight-year old cleared her throat nervously, finally tearing her eyes away from the Mayor.

"Actually… I'm not going anywhere." The blonde, too, smiled.

"I don't think you should. For my son's sake; you confuse him." Regina's demeanor instantly changed from friendly into hostile. Emma couldn't quite understand where the hatred came from; hadn't she offered her support to this woman just the night before, assuring her that Henry loved her? But Regina had driven her away, just as she was trying to now. The brunette obviously had some serious issues, and it made the blonde all the more curious to find out what they were. Nonetheless, she could read between the lines and immediately grasped the subtle threats the Mayor was giving her.

"I'm sorry, but nothing you say will make me want to leave. In fact, you're giving me more reasons to stay. For Henry." The blonde kept her tone as calm as she could.

"My son is perfectly fine. He's being taken care of."

This only made Emma Swan raise an eyebrow. What in hell did that mean? Taken care of? It sounded.. creepy.  
"He is fine. He's in therapy. You don't need to meddle; I am his mother, I know what's best for him." The Mayor continued, ready to turn away from Emma.

"I'm starting to doubt that." Emma said then, clearly angering Regina Mills.

With a last threat 'to not underestimate her', the brunette stormed off. Exhaling heavily, Emma Swan closed the door, shutting out their little confrontation from her mind.

Having pondered over her confrontation with Regina Mills for a while, the blonde thought it was time to get some fresh air. She hadn't really had her coffee yet, and found herself yearning for some. She got up to get on the pair of jeans she was wearing yesterday – as she hadn't brought any other clothes from home. She hadn't exactly anticipated staying in Storybrooke. Finding her top pretty much presentable, she decided to keep it on. She still had a blouse in her car, so she could always get that later. Right before she left her little room, she grabbed an apple. Something to fill her stomach couldn't hurt, she thought. She pulled on her red leather jacket, and made her way to the diner.

A little while later, she found herself sitting at the counter in Granny's Diner, a mug of hot coco on top. She frowned.

"I didn't order this." She explained to Ruby, who was still standing in front of her.

"I know. Someone did for you." She winked, obviously more excited than Emma was. The younger woman shot a look at someone behind her, and Emma turned with a sigh. Sheriff Graham. Perfect.  
Begrudgingly, she slipped off her stool, mug in hand, and put it before him on his table. She was impressed though, that he had guessed that she liked cinnamon. He made a stupid joke about her crashing into the town sign, and she simply rolled her eyes.

"Uhm, thanks for the coco – but no thanks." She said, not wanting to bother with him any longer.

"That's.. not mine." He said, almost looking sorry. Emma raised an eyebrow. This was unexpected.

"I ordered that." A voice said. The blonde turned, not really all that surprised to see Henry.

"Don't you have to be at school or something?" She wondered out loud, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Not if you don't take me." Was his smug reply. Once more, the twenty-eight-year old sighed. Wasn't she ever going to get rid of the kid? Seriously, couldn't Regina be a better mother to him?

Emma Swan walked Henry Mills to school. She felt awkward doing so; it was the closest they had been to the mother-son bond since they've known each other. This was, as Emma really thought about it, only just a day. Involuntarily, she shook her head. This was about the most bizarre situation she had ever found herself in, and she'd been in a lot of weird situations. Absent-mindedly, she finally brought the blood-red apple she'd been carrying to her mouth, ready to take a bite.

"Hey!" Henry yelled, and she looked to her side. "Where'd you get that?"

"Eh. Your mother gave it to me this morning?" She explained, her tone unsure. Was there something wrong about that? The kid simply yanked the apple from her hand and threw it over her shoulder, mumbling something about 'never accept apples from the Evil Queen'.  
All the while, Henry kept babbling about something he'd dubbed 'Operation Cobra', and that everyone in the town was a fairy tale character. Emma still couldn't believe him, especially the part about her being Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter. Freaky.

"I knew you'd believe me!" Henry yelled as he ran into the school abruptly, snapping Emma out of her thoughts.

"I never said I did!" She yelled back.

"You wouldn't have stayed." His smile was so wide that Emma Swan couldn't help but smile back at him as she watched him leave. She nodded at Mary Margaret Blanchard, who was making sure all the kids left for their classes. After the school ground was empty, the teacher made her way over to the blonde, smiling.

"So, you've decided to stay?" Mary Margaret's voice shot up at the end, as if she were asking a question, but the women both knew that it wasn't a question. Of course Emma stayed. She nodded.

"Does his mother know?" The teacher then asked carefully. Again, the blonde nodded.

"Yeah… She's really something." Emma muttered, feeling that it couldn't quite cover what Regina really was. She'd seen so many glimpses of the many sides the Mayor had already, and it had her completely mesmerized over it.

"I can't imagine how she got elected, though?" The twenty-eight-year old frowned upon it, yeah, because it seemed so unlikely. The older woman was so… unsocial. Cruel, too, at times. She never imagined the people of Storybrooke willingly voting for the brunette.

"Regina Mills has been Mayor for as long as I can remember," Miss Blanchard mused. "It's just the way it's always been."

That comment made Emma think. Hadn't Henry said something just like it?

"I'm afraid I've only made her more fearful. Henry now thinks she's the Evil Queen."

"So, who does Henry think you are?" The blonde changed the subject into something lighter; all these talks about Regina being fearful were creeping her out.

"Ah," Mary Margaret said, obviously feeling embarrassed. "Snow White. It's.. ridiculous."

Emma couldn't think of a response; she was shocked. Didn't Henry insist that she's Snow White's daughter? Highly unlikely, but still.

Hours later, she was standing in the Sheriff's office for the second time around.  
Arrested, again.  
Emma grumbled loudly. It was clearly a set-up, Regina pulling all the strings. She couldn't believe she actually fell for it; normally she saw through these tricks. But she had been so eager to find out about Henry, that she had just accepted the file Archie had given her. So much for him being Jiminy Cricket. That had been devilish.

"I swear to God, I didn't steal that damned file!" She tried again, her face flustered with anger. Graham simply grinned. This only angered the blonde more; he was taking mug shots of her, ready to throw her in a cell, and she was innocent. Not that he cared. He, too, was a puppet of Mayor Mills. No matter what, she was going to get the brunette back for this. She would never let someone walk over her like that. And how dared that Sheriff arrest her and still flirt with her at the same time? This town was so wicked, it confused her. Emma Swan visibly rolled her eyes. Just as she was going to tell him that he, too, was a puppet to Regina Mills' power, Henry ran in.

"Kid!" The blonde said, "What on earth are you doing here?" She couldn't believe that the ten-year-old succeeding in skipping class. Even she was never that good. Kid had skills. She couldn't help but be impressed. But then Mary Margaret Blanchard followed him in, and Emma felt relieved. Okay, he was still supervised – something Regina couldn't get back at her for.

"Miss Blanchard is going to bail you out," Henry grinned widely, his eyes visibly hinting at the teacher. Not that Snow White-crap again, Emma thought. She'd never believe that the young woman standing there so shyly was her mother.

"But.. Why? You don't know me," Emma couldn't help but whisper. Mary Margaret simply shrugged.

"I don't know," She replied in all honesty. "I just trust you, I guess."

The twenty-eight-year old simply blinked. Mary Margaret then continued, and explained that his mother came to school to explain what happened. Emma wasn't surprised in the slightest bit; of course this would be used against her. Suddenly, she feared that the kid may think badly of her, and she already opened her mouth to tell him that whatever the Mayor had told him – that it probably wasn't true. But before she could even form a sentence in her head, he had already hugged her. Flabbergasted, she patted him on the back awkwardly.

"You're a genius." He gushed. "I know you were gathering information for Operation Cobra. Awesome!"

This.. thing couldn't get any weirder. Was this her son over-idolizing her? No matter, Emma thought it was time to get back at Regina Mills. She smiled sweetly as she outstretched her arms for Sheriff Graham to un-cuff her. Now, where to get a chainsaw to tear down that precious tree the Mayor had gushed about?

Emma Swan had decided to only cut off a large branch from the tree – because, well, tearing it down completely was such a shame. The tree was magnificent, and its fruit beautiful. She could see why the brunette was so fond of it; nevertheless, her revenge had to be completed. Just as she had sown through it, and threw the chainsaw to the ground, she heard the back door slam shut.

"What on _earth_ are you doing?!" She heard the Mayor's hoarse voice scream. Emma grinned.

"Want to mess with me? Fine, go ahead. But leave Henry out of this. This is between me and you, and if you think you can take me on, you're mistaken. Your move, _Madam Mills_." The blonde bit back at the older woman viciously. With those words, she stormed off.


	3. Chapter 3

***I do not own any of these characters. If there are any dialogues taken from the episodes literally, I do not own these either.***

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Thanks for reading this, everyone. Don't hesitate to leave me some feedback; things you'd like to see differently; remarks you have.

Chapter 3

If Emma Swan thought she had finished the war between her and Regina Mills, she was clearly mistaken. The Mayor had continued to show her power to the blonde by having her thrown out of her little room at Granny's Bed &amp; Breakfast, and if that weren't enough, Emma found a wheel clamp on her car. She didn't quite care that she didn't have a place to stay, but her precious car? That was one bridge too far. That yellow Bug was the thing she loved the most! Frustrated, she kicked against the curb. How could that woman be such a pain in the ass?! And as she was making up a plan to get the brunette back once more, she began to wonder. Was this worth it? Of course not. She did this for Henry. But it was the kid that actually suffered because of this. And she didn't want to hurt him; she'd already abandoned him when he was born, she shouldn't be the person to mentally torture him now.  
She sighed.

Her cell phone rang. Which was strange, since she didn't give many people her number; but perhaps it was work finally catching up on her. She pulled the device from her pocket, not recognizing the number on the display screen.

"Hello?" She said, wondering who it could be.  
Regina.  
God damn it, that woman could get her hands on anything. Angered that the brunette had found her number somewhere, Emma considered just hanging up on her. But when she heard the Mayor ask her if she could come over 'to bury the hatchet', she hesitated. Perhaps that was for the best. In any way, it would be better for the kid.

"You can find me at my office," Regina continued without even waiting for an answer from Emma. Again, the blonde felt a pang of annoyance at the older woman's assumption that she would turn up.

"You can drive here. Or.. Walk. Whatever suits you." With a click, the Mayor ended the call, and Emma groaned in frustration. That stupid bitch was gloating, on top of everything. She kicked the curb again, and started walking. She'd better get this over with soon.

While he Mayor's office was not as impressive as her house, it was still.. pretty huge. Emma Swan felt a little intimidated by the power it showed. Driven by her anger, she let herself in and walked into the office, not bothering to go through all the formalities.

"Why, come on in, Miss Swan," Mayor Mills snickered as she looked up at the younger woman before her. Emma just narrowed her eyes at the brunette, clearly not amused.

"Cut the crap, _Madam Mills_," She spat through gritted teeth. What was she here for? Another plan by the Mayor? "What am I here for?"

"Ah," Regina smiled, getting up from her chair and walking to the little lounge in her office. She sat down in her favorite armchair and motioned for the other woman to take place as well.

"I think it's time we stop this.. thing we have going on. This isn't good for my son." The brunette kept her tones light and friendly, waving her hand through the air matter-of-factly. But the twenty-eight-year old was still wary. The older woman had this possessiveness around her that kept her at the edge of her chair. She didn't like the 'my son', at all. But still, she kept her mouth shut for Regina to finish. When she didn't, the blonde shifted her weight awkwardly. Her gut-feeling told her that the other wasn't lying to her, so Emma dared to trust her.

"Look… I'm not here to yank him away from you. That is no intention of mine." She assured the Mayor, who seemed to lighten up at those words. Encouraged by this, the blonde continued.

"I'm just worried about his. All these fantasies regarding his book… Thinking that everyone in this town is a fairy tale character, that's just _wrong_. Even a little crazy, if I dare say." She bit her lip, as her green eyes watched the other's face carefully. Unexpectedly, Regina Mills stared grinning widely.

"You think I'm crazy?" She heard a voice behind her say. Emma felt her heart drop into her stomach, and she turned.

"Henry!" She tried apologetically, but he had already run away. "You did this." She turned back to the brunette, who was gloating once again. "You knew he'd be here."

"Of course. He's _my son_; I always know where he is."

That was it for Emma Swan. She didn't want to stay in Storybrooke anymore; to hell with the stupid town. All she had gotten since she arrived here was trouble. Not even her guilt for abandoning her kid could make her stay anymore. She bit her lip – she knew what she had to do: pay her debt to Mary Margaret Blanchard and get the hell out of here.

"Hi," The blonde said as soon as the teacher opened her front door. She offered a small smile as she held out an envelope to the woman in front of her. "It's the money I owe you."  
Miss Blanchard took it, frowning a little. Emma nodded in goodbye, but was still hesitating. She had a long drive ahead of her, and she was leaving without saying goodbye to her son. Maybe saying goodbye to the teacher would ease her guilt a little.

"You look like you could use someone to talk to." Mary Margaret stated, already opening up the door wider to let the blonde in.

They sat themselves at the kitchen table in Mary Margaret's apartment, and Emma sighed. The teacher got up again to make two cups of hot coco, while the twenty-eight-year old simply stared at her clenched fists. The way Regina Mills had tricked her had been so unfair; she knew she shouldn't have let her guard down in that woman's company… But there just was something about the Mayor that she couldn't explain. She started to think that she had to separate Regina Mills from Mayor Mills. She couldn't yet decide which of the personalities was Henry's mother.  
Emma mumbled a simple 'thanks' when she was presented the hot coco, and warmed her hands around it. They still remained silence, the teacher obviously waiting for the blonde to start talking. Instead, Emma took a sip. She smiled at the taste of cinnamon. Everyone in this town seemed to be doing that.

"Cinnamon?" She decided to comment it, casually.

"Oh, sorry," Miss Blanchard excused herself. "Perhaps I should have asked. It's a habit."

"No, I like it. Thank you." Emma assured her. "So ehm, when you bailed me out… You said you trust me." It wasn't a question, but it was implied. The teacher, too, took a sip; she seemed to mull over the words in her head.

"Yeah, I know it seems odd," Again, Miss Blanchard seemed to apologize. "I've just had the feeling I've met you before. I know that's crazy."  
Emma Swan nodded. This town was all about strange things.

"I'm starting to re-evaluate my definition of crazy, though," Emma admitted. There were so many things that couldn't be explained – already.

"For what it's worth, I think you're innocent."

Emma smiled at that; it seemed like the Mayor had already made up her mind about the blonde, and was fixated on trying to make Emma the bad guy. It relieved her to hear that there were still people who believed in her innocence; such as Mary Margaret and Henry. Well, at least Henry thought she was innocent before she broke the kids heart.

"Of breaking in and entry or just in general?" Emma Swan grinned, and they both laughed.

"Whatever makes you feel better."

The blonde chuckled, but then bit her lip. Well, it didn't matter what people in this town thought about her; she was leaving anyway. As soon as possible.  
She voiced this to the woman sitting at the table with her. The teacher just frowned at this information.

"I don't think you should," The brunette began hesitantly. "I mean, what happens to Henry when you leave? I think the fact you _want_ to leave, for him, should be the reason for you to stay."

"Yeah. You're right. And I should tell him that." Emma breathed already getting up from her chair. She knew where she would find him; Regina had mentioned it earlier: at therapy, with Archie.

Emma burst through the door, not bothering with the kid's privacy. But as soon as she was standing in the room, she knew that she needn't be worried. It was absolutely silent in there.

"Henry!" She almost yelled, her voice a little panicky.

"Miss Swan! I'm so sorry, it was the Mayor, she –" The psychiatrist began, but Emma held up a hand to shut him off.

"Don't bother, I get it." She said, rushing over to Henry, who was looking sullen. She took place in front of him, and watched as he shrunk back a little on the couch.

"Listen," She began hastily. "I'm sorry I said that you were crazy. You're _not_. The curse is. All of this is. But this is for Operation Cobra – if the Evil Queen thinks that we're non-believers, we can do whatever we want." She had thought of what she was going to say on the way here, and because she had to walk, she had gotten some time to do so. The kid looked up at her and beamed; he could see sense in all that she said. Emma felt relieved. She got up and held her hand out for him to take; she would walk him home.

"Archie, I would appreciate it if you didn't mention any of this to Mayor Mills." The blonde whispered urgently as she stopped at the door, looking back at the shrink. Henry was already heading down the stairs.

"I promise I won't. Again, sorry for earlier today. I should've stood up to her." The man apologized once more, and she nodded, closing the door behind her.

Since Emma Swan was kicked out of that adorable little room in Granny's Bed &amp; Breakfast, she had been forced to crash in her car; which she couldn't move because of the wheel clamp. She highly disliked camping in her car in the middle of the Main Street. Too many curious by-passers. Other than that, she was as comfortable as possible in her car; she had spent many nights in her precious little thing, she used to sleep in it when she didn't have a place to stay – much like now – and had had many stake-outs in it. She had taken a paper from inside the diner, and was now scanning the pages for open vacancies. But so far, she didn't have any luck – all the rooms in Storybrooke seemed to be rented.

A knock on the window startled her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The blonde looked up from her paper to see Mary Margaret Blanchard peeking into the car. She reached over and started rolling down the car window, as it was an old design.

"Oh, hello," She mused. "Yeah, sleeping in here doesn't compare to the places I've slept in." She chuckled inwardly at the little joke she made. She had really been through a lot.

"Wait, you're sleeping in here?" The black-haired woman seemed shocked, and Emma's smile faltered.

"Well, until I've found a place…" She mumbled, throwing the paper onto the passenger's seat beside her. "But the town doesn't seem to have any…"

It truly troubled her. She tried so hard to stay for Henry, but that damn Mayor always seemed to be a few steps ahead of her; and she wasn't used to losing a challenge.

"So, you've decided to stay then. For Henry." Miss Blanchard sounded way too happy to be just an on-looker, and this time Emma chuckled out loud.

"You know, I have a spare room, if you can't find anything." It was hesitant but certain all at once. The blonde knew that the teacher was hesitant because, well, she was very likely to decline the offer. She cringed a little at the thought of sharing an apartment with the woman standing at her car. She sighed and got out of the car, slamming the door shut; a little frustration showing in her demeanor

"I'm not the roommate kind of type, so I'll pass on this one. Thanks though," The twenty-eight-year old finally admitted. "But hey – what are you doing here so late anyway?" She thought it safe to quickly change the subject to something else, and the teacher sighed.

"I had a date." Mary Margaret sounded grim, and the blonde smiled ruefully.

"That didn't go well." It was a statement, and the other woman simply shrugged. Not that important, she guessed.

"If true love was _easy_, we'd all have it, right?" The black-haired woman said, smiling. Emma admired the woman's optimism.

"Anyway… Good night and good luck with Henry."

With those words, Mary Margaret Blanchard turned around and started walking home. Emma kept watching for a little while, pondering over the things the teacher had just said. She wondered why she had denied the woman; except for them being kind of strangers to each other. It was true that she did better on her own, she had proven that many times; but it all started feeling a little lonely to her. Maybe she should've taken the teacher up on her offer. Or perhaps not. Shrugging at her thoughts, Emma turned and scrambled back into her car. She slid back the car seat and made herself comfortable.

"Damn you, Regina." She grumbled, before she let herself drift off to dream land.

She had overslept. She realized it as soon as her eyes fluttered open. The sun was shining on her face through the window, and as soon as she moved, she knew that she was sore from the weird sleeping position. She grumbled under her breath as she rummaged through some loose clothes on her back seat; there should be something lying there that she could wear. When she failed, she decided that perhaps she could ask around for a little clothes' shop later. She removed the blouse she had worn so that she wouldn't get cold overnight, and wore her red leather jacket over her white tank top. That should do for today.

Half an hour later, Emma was sitting in the castle at the little playground with Henry for their daily rendezvous. She had a much needed cup of coffee from Granny's Diner in her hand, while the kid had his book open on his lap. He had started off by telling her that he had visited the hospital – and according to him, he had found Prince Charming. Her so-called fairy-tale father. He had rambled on and on about bringing the man and Mary Margaret together; or well, just her to him, since he was in the hospital, in a coma. Emma shook her head at the whole plan.

"Look, kid," she started, frowning deeply. "You don't even know for sure that it's him. We can't possibly spring this upon Mary Margaret – it's really hard."

She tried her best to explain to the kid why this plan would fail so badly, but he didn't bother to listen.

"They even have the same scar – in the same place!" He had already reacted to her eyebrow being raised, and she gave into the smile that was tugging at her lips.

"Fine, we'll bring them together, but we're going to do it _my_ way." She gave in, and her smile grew wider at his enthusiastic reaction.

"Go home now. I'll drop by at Miss Blanchard's." Before she could say anything else, the kid was hugging her again, and before she could even hug him back, he was already running home. She shook her head in amusement and started walking.

In only a few minutes' time, she found herself staring at Mary Margaret Blanchard's door again. She inhaled deeply and knocked. She didn't have to wait long for the woman to open the door, and Emma smiled.

"Emma!" The teacher said; her tones surprised. But nevertheless, the black-haired woman smiled and let her in.

"I'll make us some coco."

Emma Swan was clutching onto the mug of hot coco as she watched Mary Margaret's face carefully. She had just explained the whole plan to the other woman – and she seemed shocked. The blonde shot her an apologetic glance. She hadn't expected any other reaction from Mary Margaret – after all, she had just asked her to read to a coma patient. A coma patient of which Henry thought was the reader's soul mate. And he had asked her to read a story that was supposedly theirs. Crazy.

"Look, I know it's a lot to ask," Emma started almost apologetically. "But the kid's got a very active imagination. We can't just shoot him down. He needs to.. discover this himself."  
Mary Margaret nodded slowly. And then she even smiled. Emma frowned.

"I'll do it. Can't do any harm, right?" It sounded like she needed confirmation, and Emma was eager to give her that.

"Let's meet tomorrow at Granny's for a full report?" The blonde grinned openly now, as she took the book that Henry had given her from her bag. She winked as she placed the rather heavy thing on the kitchen counter.

"I suppose I'll get ready for my date, then." Mary Margaret joked, finishing the hot coco she had held. Emma, too, finished the mug, and hesitated. She really liked this place; perhaps she should've considered rooming with Miss Blanchard after all. She hit herself internally for turning the offer down right away and not taking any time to think it over. Sadly, there was nothing she could do about it right _now_, because Mary Margaret had to get ready. She placed the mug next to the book and said her goodbyes and good lucks as she walked to the door. Seemed like she was going to sleep in her car again tonight. Thank god Henry had promised her a shirt for tomorrow.

The next morning, she was thoroughly impressed. They were on their way to the hospital because, apparently, Mary Margaret had gotten through to John Doe. Emma seriously had her doubts about all of this; but she was still impressed. The man hadn't moved for twenty-eight years, according to the doctor's report, and last night he apparently _had_ after being read to. When she excused herself to put on the t-shirt Henry had just given him, the two of them made another plan: they were going to read to the coma patient again. She shook her head as she ran after the kid and the teacher, whom had waited for her return until they left for the hospital. But when they arrived at the dorm he lied on, they were informed that he was missing.  
Emma Swan groaned out loud when she saw the Mayor standing in John Doe's room. Crap. Regina Mills was looking rather unpleased, and especially when she caught sight of the blonde. Emma pursed her lips and braced herself for the inevitable upcoming clash between her and the Mayor. The twenty-eight-year old watched as the Mayor made her way over rapidly, already looking furious.

"What in hell are you doing here?" The brunette spat at Emma aggressively, before turning to her son. "And you. I thought you were at the Arcade. Are you lying to me now?"  
Before Regina could continue, the teacher interrupted her.

"What happened, Sheriff?" She asked. "Did someone take him?" She sounded very alarmed, and Emma frowned. The black-haired seemed so fond of the coma patient already.

"We don't really know." Sheriff Graham admitted, his eyes locked on the floor.

"What did you _do_?" Henry accused his mother, the Mayor, and shocked everyone standing there.

"You think I had something to do with this, Henry?" Madam Mills sounded hurt, but Emma didn't buy it.

"Well, it's damn curious that you're here, _Madam Mills_." She stated. Regina rolled her eyes openly.

"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact. I was the one who found him." The Mayor said, a smug smile on her full lips. Emma stared.

"No matter what, he should be returned to the hospital immediately," Dr. Whale said. "Or he'll be in a lot of danger." Emma grunted. Of course they were wasting time debating with the Mayor here when there was a man in danger. When she voiced this, the Mayor seemed even angrier than before.

"_We_ will take care of this," She said haughtily, "There's no need for your involvement. And as I can't keep you away from my son, I'll be keeping him away from _you_. Enjoy my shirt; it's all you're getting, _Miss Swan_."

Emma responded with a sarcastic courtesy, which only seemed to infuriate the Mayor further. With a last command for the Sheriff, she took off with Henry. The blonde stared after them for a while before she turned back to the Sheriff and Dr. Whale.

"Let's start looking?" She finally asked. 

* * *

The video tapes in the hospital had shown that John Doe had stumbled out the back door on his own. According to the staff, that door led directly to the woods. Where else.  
So that's why Emma was stomping around in the middle of the woods; at night. She had the creeps about this place, she felt like she was being watched non-stop. She wasn't alone – Graham and Mary Margaret were with her – but she still felt uneasy.  
A noise in the bushes made them turn, only for Henry to jump out. Emma was outraged; how in hell did he find them? And how had he escaped his mother's tight grasp? For real, she was going to be in _so_ much trouble when the Mayor found out. But the kid had a pretty good idea about where John Doe would be going, and now they were on their way to the Toll Bridge, which was – according to Henry – in fact the _Troll_ Bridge. Emma kept shaking her head in disbelief; that kid's imagination was getting way out of hand. And sure enough, when they reached it, they found the man lying in the water. It was Mary Margaret Blanchard who first saw him and rushed to his side. Emma, too, hurried along, but kept her distance while Mary Margaret tugged at the coma patient to turn him over. Behind her, she could hear Graham shouting for an ambulance in his walkie-talkie. The twenty-eight-year old now rushed to the man's side as well, and grabbed his legs.  
"Come on, let's get him out of the water." She yelled at Graham for help. Mary Margaret stepped aside while the Sheriff and the blonde carried him out of the water, but as soon as he was on the ground again, she was at his side again. Emma stepped back and pulled Henry into a hug. She didn't want him to look at John Doe, in case he wouldn't make it. She turned him around to face away from the scene when the teacher started performing CPR.

Emma Swan still didn't realize what exactly happened, because at some point the man had woken up. Mary Margaret had stopped trying to revive him, and had kissed him... and that's when he woke up. They had rushed him to the hospital, and that's where they were now.

"David?!" They heard a voice calling from behind them. Emma turned to watch a blonde, adult woman rush to the room where John Doe was. She rushed in, and left the rest of them startled. Soon after, they heard clicking of heels behind them; and Emma knew that sound. The Mayor.

"Who is that woman?" Mary Margaret asked, oblivious to everything but the man who had just been in a coma.

"His wife." A sly voice responded, and Emma didn't need to turn around to know the Mayor had just entered the ward. She felt the teacher stiffen in shock beside her. Emma felt sorry for Mary Margaret; she had just seen her rescue the man's life, by kissing him. Only to find out he was already taken this whole time. She cursed her plan; making her read a fairy-tale love story to him.

"His name is David Nolan, and that's his wife Kathryn," Regina Mills explained to them, when it appeared that David would be just fine. She had a smug expression on her face and Emma had to keep herself from wiping it off the Mayor's face. The blonde thought this was all so coincidental; out of nowhere, the Mayor had been able to track his wife down? After twenty-eight years of nothing?

"We'll talk about your insubordination later," The brunette was now talking to her son, and Emma felt anger flare up. She clinched the arms of the chair she was sitting in as she bit her tongue.

"Do you know what that means?" The Mayor simply continued, ignoring everyone else. Henry shook his head, and Emma didn't think he cared that much.  
"Means you're grounded."

Henry slumped back into his chair once he realized what it meant. Emma rolled her eyes quite visibly, but before she could open her mouth and defend the kid, Kathryn came out of David's room.

"Thank you," She whispered, smiling at Mary Margaret. "Thank you for saving my David."

"I don't understand," the black-haired teacher replied. "You didn't know he was here?"

And so Kathryn explained what happened twenty-eight years ago. Emma thought it was a load of crap; who would let her husband leave, just like that, and not look for him for such a long time? She suspected the Mayor had something to do with this, somehow. But she was still happy for the woman who had just found her husband again; they were reunited, after all they'd been through, and were able to get a second chance. She smiled back when Kathryn smiled at her.  
Dr. Whale approached them to tell them that David Nolan was alright, only that he had amnesia and that it would take a while to get his memories back. The Mayor beckoned Henry and started walking to the door, but the kid hesitated. Emma raised an eyebrow; what was he planning to do now?

"Don't believe them. He was looking for you," He whispered to Miss Blanchard. "You belong together."

"Henry!" He rushed out quickly.

Emma Swan had run after Regina Mills, to tell her that she didn't believe any of the crap that had just been said, and that she was going to find out what was wrong with the story. But as usual, the Mayor had an explanation ready; and something about what the brunette said, made Emma think. She was alone. And she didn't want to be alone anymore; and that's why, for the third time since she had arrived in Storybrooke, she was knocking on Mary Margaret Blanchard's door.

"Hey, I'm sorry. It's late," Emma started, when she was looking at the teacher's smiling face. "But eh, do you still have that spare room?"

Mary Margaret grinned widely as she opened the door for Emma to come in.


	4. Chapter 4

***I do not own any of these characters. If there are any dialogues taken from the episodes literally, I do not own these either.*  
**  
**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the wait; exams are hectic. Either way, here's the new chapter. Beware: SQ moments are going to be a lot more frequent from now on. Enjoy and don't hesitate to leave me some feedback! Shout-out to my best friend and beta MsCalypso. Do check out her story, it is simply amazing.

**Chapter 4**

Emma Swan had been offered a job as Deputy by Sheriff Graham. At first, she thought it was absurd – even though it would be a nice job, it was not too different from the role she was playing in her current job; with all the catching of the bad guys and everything. And It certainly fit the role Henry had in mind for her. But then again; she didn't want to be controlled by Graham, whom was, after all, directly controlled by the Mayor of Storybrooke. She still couldn't talk to Regina Mills without fighting with her; and every time she walked away in the middle of an argument, she found herself looking forward to the next encounter. And there would _always_ be a 'next encounter'.

It thrilled her.

Storybrooke was both large and boring and these little disputes – about anything – with the Mayor entertained her. She liked it even more because those disputes gave her an excuse to watch the brunette closely. The blonde was seriously fascinated with the way the older woman composed herself; how seething her glare would be, the flared nostrils, the violent composure. As if Regina were a dragon about to lift herself up to the sky and indulge her in flames. It amused Emma endlessly.

What finally had made her take the job as Deputy, was helping Ashley Boyd – a teenage girl who was pregnant with her first child. She hadn't been hired by the girl though, but by Mr. Gold. But as she dug through the past and story further and further, she couldn't help but sympathize with Ashley. The poor girl had been forced to give up her child, not like she had been. No, Emma had willingly given up Henry to give him a better future; she could see that the girl she was chasing after for Mr. Gold truly wanted to be a mother to her child.

Emma Swan realized, as she hauled Henry around on the job, that she didn't have any influence in this position; and it made her contemplate becoming Deputy after all. More importantly though, it made her realize that she wanted to get to know Henry – more than she had wanted before. She kept hearing the Mayor's words in her head, though, and feared that the older women was right. She didn't have any roots in this town; she could be chased away so easily. But she wouldn't let that happen – not when she was offered a chance to dig herself into the ground and plant roots herself. And this by becoming Deputy. And so, to Henry's joy, she called up Graham and accepted the job, thus officially becoming Deputy Swan.

Smug smile on her lips, Emma Swan strutted around Storybrooke proudly. She had just been told that she could start her new job on Monday, and was almost eager for the Mayor to find out. Surely it would irritate Regina, especially after _she_ had been so smug about Emma's inability to stay in one place longer than two years. She had rubbed it in at Granny's, for everyone to see, and had left Emma outraged.

On a whim, she decided that she wanted to visit the beach; the weather was grim, but she actually liked it better than Summers on the beach; she really sunburned easily. The semi-strong wind blowing would actually help clear her head; and it would come close to actually working out, something that Emma never, ever did. She tucked her hands into her pocket as she arrived at the pier, walking over to the steps that led down to the sand. Before she could descend, however, something caught her eye. A person, sitting on a bench, overlooking the pier. She smirked as she recognized the figure. Regina Mills. Well, well. She walked over, and stopped a few paces away.

"_Madam Mills_," She greeted loudly, and the older woman looked up, startled by the sudden voice. The surprise on Regina's face quickly changed into to irritation once she realized she was looking up at the blonde. Emma's smirk grew wider.

"_Miss Swan_." The Mayor's voice was grim, much like the weather. She was wearing a thick, black coat, and had her chin tucked into its collar comfortably; while Emma was just wearing her red leather jacket, and a light sweater underneath it. The blonde's eyes raked over Regina slowly, but she didn't dare come closer.

"What are you doing here?" Emma finally asked, her curiosity getting the upper hand.  
"I believe that is none of your business," Was the quick and curt reply, one Emma had expected. She chuckled quietly.

"I'm sorry, does that amuse you?" The Mayor asked, eyebrow raised, when she heard the blonde chuckle.

"Not quite, but it _is_ amusing that you try so hard to keep people at a distance." Emma shrugged indifferently.

"Why would you care, _Miss Swan_?" Regina shot back, her voice beginning to sound a little annoyed.  
"It makes me interested to find out more about you," Emma Swan finally found the courage to sit down next to Storybrooke's Mayor, and as she did so, Regina scooted away a little; almost as if Emma had a contagious disease, and that Regina was cautious to not catch it.

"You're such a pry, _Miss Swan_. Thank God that Henry only inherited your good looks." Regina scowled at the blonde openly, but Emma just blinked. Was that a rude, carefully disguised compliment? She felt her cheeks flush a little, but decided to not let the brunette disarm her. So that's why she finally told the Mayor she wasn't just _Miss Swan_ anymore.

"It's Deputy Swan nowadays."

Emma glanced over and saw an expression of pure shock etched on the Mayor's face, which made the blonde burst out into laughter. Carefully, she laid a hand onto the older woman's hand.

"So much for no roots, huh, _Madam Mills_." She teased, getting up and walked away swiftly, leaving the older woman to her own thoughts.

* * *

That little conversation with Regina Mills had satisfied Emma. She had truly enjoyed lashing out at the older woman, after being scolded at for such a long time. She finally felt as if she had a chance against the Mayor; well, perhaps not, but she had a better chance whilst being Deputy than whilst being.. nothing. It had carved a seemingly permanent smirk into the blonde's features, and while she usually wasn't the one for gloating – not so obviously anyway – she figured that she could this once. That was just the effect the Mayor had on her.

But it wasn't long that the newly Deputy could gloat, because soon the weekend had passed, and it was already her first day at the Sheriff's station. When she crashed into the station, with such confidence – as if she owned the place, really – she found Graham waiting for her, with a goddamn uniform. Emma scowled. There was no way she would be wearing _that_. Ever. She felt most comfortable in her tight jeans, whatever top she found on her pile of shirts, and her red leather jacket. That's how people knew her around here anyway.

"I'm not wearing it." Emma said firmly.

Not even the Mayor herself could make Emma wear that thing.

She smirked at the thought of the brunette barging in and demanding that she wore the Deputy's official uniform; and if she had been without the company of the Sheriff, she would have chuckled out loud. Especially when she thought of the argument that, without doubt, would follow.

But then Graham cleared his throat and pulled her from her thoughts.

"I'm sorry to do this on your first day, but there's a whole stash of paper work that needs to be done," he said apologetically. The blonde groaned out loud. Of course she would be the one sitting behind a desk instead of patrolling through the petite town; she was the Deputy, not the Sheriff. With more loud huffs, she made her way to her brand new desk – in the middle of the station, while Graham had his own office – and slumped into the chair. This was going to be a long, boring day.

"Hey, wear this at least, if you're not going to put on that uniform." At the sound of Graham's voice, Emma jerked up; just in time to catch the Deputy badge he tossed at her. She smiled - this was more like it - and clipped it on her belt. Just as she did, the ground trembled. Hard. The blonde immediately grabbed the desk to stay on her feet; but unfortunately Graham was less lucky. Emma forced down a giggle as she saw the Sheriff sprawled out on the floor, and waited for him to crawl back on his feet before she asked him if earthquakes were frequent here.

"Not at all." He replied, clearly confused with the situation. Emma's hand trailed back down and touched the badge. Was it because she officially took on the job? Henry would probably say it was.  
A phone call from a citizen directed them to the mines, and they drove over quickly. When they arrived, the Mayoral Mercedes was pulling up as well. Emma bit her lip nervously; first day on the job and supervised by the Mayor immediately – why not.

"Can everyone please just step away from the mines, please?" The Mayor's voice was barely loud enough to be heard over the noise, but as she rushed towards the crowd, they did step back. Emma and Graham, however, stayed in place.

"_Miss Swan_," Regina sighed, clearly annoyed at the sight of the blond girl. "This is official town business, you don't need to be here."

Emma frowned. Why was Regina pretending like she didn't know she was made Deputy? The twenty-eight-year-old decided to play along and remained silence; this was the Sheriff's fight, not hers.

Emma strolled off the direct the crowd away from the crater while Regina gave her boring speech. She didn't even bother to listen; she didn't give a damn about what the older woman was saying. She just wanted to do her job properly and give Graham no reason to fire her and take away her carefully planted 'roots' to the town. She didn't even notice that Henry had arrived – with Archie – until he was standing next to her. But before she could even say as much as 'hello' to him, the Mayor had already ushered him to the car. Emma shook her head as she watched; she knew he'd be back in a few minutes anyway. She shrugged at the harsh command that Regina gave her as she started to corner off the area.

And just as she predicted, a few moments later, right after she finished taping off the area, Henry beckoned her. Of course he was convinced that the collapsing of the mines had something to do with Emma taking on the job, and the blond actually found herself thinking it too for a second. But then she shook her head and came back to reality. There was no such thing as a curse, and her putting on a badge could certainly not cause the collapse of a whole mine. It had just been old and bound to fall apart one day; and unfortunately today was that day.

She finished off and drove back with Graham after having said goodbye to Henry., the securing of the mines having taken up an entire morning. She sighed as they reached the station; she was going to go right back to the apartment and get lunch.

The twenty-eight-year old blonde had been so glad to have lunch a little early, only to regret the fact that she had been so elated about it. Because an hour or so after she had gotten home, Henry knocked on the door in tears. She had sat at the counter in the kitchen - talking with her roommate about David Nolan - when she heard the knock. The situation was quickly explained to her, through loud and uncontrollable sobs, and Emma thought it was time to drop Henry off at his adoptive mother's office and drive over to Archie to confront him about the hurtful things he said to the boy – without doubt because of some threat from the Mayor.

* * *

**A/N2: **Okay, so I planned to make this chapter way, waaaay longer. But I felt like I kept you guys waiting too long (I had exams, please forgive me). So here is this very, very short chapter with a much longer on its way to make up for the long gap between updates. Feedback is always welcome.


	5. Chapter 5 - Part 1

***I do not own any of these characters. If there are any dialogues taken from the episodes literally, I do not own these either.***

**A/N: Oh my God, I'm so so _so_ sorry for the long wait. Life's been so incredibly hectic. Anyway, here's the first part of chapter five, which isn't very long but I promise to make it up to you all. And as previously promised: _more_ SQ-moments to come. Enjoy and don't hesitate to leave reviews or messages! Thanks for still reading this.**

**Chapter 5**

Emma Swan was simply fuming. She had barged into Archie Hopper's door and demanded an explanation for her very upset son – wow, did she really just think that? Her _son_? – and received none. Of course, she was fully aware of whom had caused this. Not the shrink, but the Mayor. But, going after the Mayor would be a lot more difficult. Damn Regina and her sneaky ways. But just as she was about to unleash her fury on Archie, her phone rang. Annoyed, she mumbled curses under her breath, not wanting to be distracted. She really needed to throw out some of the irritation that that _damn _Regina Mills drew out in her.

"What?" She spit through the phone, not even bothering to check who was calling.

"Is he with you?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded shrill – it took Emma a few seconds to realize that it was the usually firm Mayor.

"Heck yeah he is! How _dare _you threaten the poor man into hurting –" She figured she could have a go at Regina either way; she sounded so vulnerable. Unfortunately she was mistaken.

"I'm not talking about that poor excuse of a doctor, _Miss Swan_," The haughty tone was back in place and Emma could feel cold chills rolling over her spine. How did the brunette _do_ that?

"Then who the hell are you talking about?" The blonde asked, Regina had surprised her and caught her off-guard.

"Henry. I can't find him anywhere." Regina sounded really impatient, and Emma simply stared at her feet, not understanding what was happening.

"I dropped him off at your office over an hour ago, Reg- _Mayor Mills_."

She bit her lip nervously. If he wasn't there, where could he be? She looked at Archie and saw his expression shift.

"I know where he is." The man sighed, and the blonde already felt dread creeping up on her. What was the boy up to now? Why in god's name had he inherited _so _many genes from her? That and the need to either cause or be in trouble, like, all the time. She mumbled that they were going to look for Henry into her phone and hung up quickly. She knew she would be chewed out for breaking the connection on the Mayor so abruptly, but if that meant they could find the kid faster, it would be worth it.

Emma waited for the shrink to lock up his office, her feet shuffling impatiently. She knew that Henry would probably in more danger than he thought he would be. And she, as his birth mother felt the desperate need to save him; currently from himself.

* * *

They had found him. But they hadn't felt relieved. Emma was freaking out inside, but she kept her expression blank. She could not afford the whole town – that had somehow gathered _again_ – to see her vulnerable. She was Deputy, she had a job to do; and the fact that she had to save her son out of some collapsing mines should not make her lose her cool.

Archie had been right; Henry _had_ entered the mines - that had started collapsing earlier that day - to find proof for his fairy tale-theory. The shrink had followed him down, and just as the blonde wanted to too, the ground had started shaking again – thus blocking the entrance. The twenty-eight-year old had ran around like some distressed puppy before she had called Sheriff Graham. It was he whom had called the fire department of Storybrooke and gotten volunteers to help clear out the entrance. They had tried everything, but so far nothing had worked. The entrance was still blocked, and there was no way to get in or out of the mines. They were getting nowhere.

The blonde was bent over a table, staring intently at blueprints of Storybrooke that Regina had brought to the site. She was racking her brain on solutions to get the mines open again; but she had never been the technical kind of person. She was good in finding people – not getting them out of a deathtrap. She kept nibbling on her lip nervously, and she had already tasted the faint metal flavor of blood in her mouth a few times. She knew if she kept this up, her lip would be swollen tomorrow – but it couldn't compare to the way her heart was swelling in sorrow, knowing that she might never see her son back. Henry being in danger really brought up her maternal instincts, and apparently it had the same effect on Regina. The blonde knew that the Mayor was stalking the ground angrily, barking commands at every subordinate – about _everyone _– in hopes of trying to get her adoptive son out of there. But alas, there was absolutely nothing to be done.

People were already starting to give up on hope, and mumbling that perhaps they should just go home and trust that Henry and Archie were inventive enough to live through the night. The grounds were still shaking every now and then, and people were starting to think of their own safety now. Most of them were already leaving. Anger flared up deep within Emma Swan when she realized this. So this was how _tight_ all residents of Storybrooke were, huh? She did notice that it were always the same people sticking their hands in fire for each other. She felt grateful towards those, resentful towards the others.

Loud barking snapped her out her thoughts. It was Archie's dog, sniffling over the grounds that had just shaken again. Everyone was still clinging to something stable, waiting for the rumbling to end. The blonde frowned. Had the dog found something? Graham was already running towards it, encouraging it to show them what it had found. Emma was close behind the Sheriff, eager for _something_ that resembled a solution.

And then the dog found a shaft. Emma could have hugged the beast to death in relief. They could enter the mines through that shaft – and look for the kid and the shrink. Probably get them out through the shaft too.

The question was: who would do it? Emma was convinced that she should be the one to do it; Graham needed to stay to supervise everything, along with all the fire department of Storybrooke; in case – God forbid – something went wrong. So the logical conclusion was that she would do it herself. But as soon as she stepped up and opened her mouth, the Mayor interrupted her.

"Okay, I'm going down," Regina said, her eyes glinting fiercely. The twenty-eight-year old blonde blinked. What?

"All due respect, _Madam Mayor_," She started, after clearing her throat loudly. "But I think it's better if I go down…"

"_Miss Swan_," The brunette huffed in response, clearly irritated with the Deputy. "He is _my_ son, I will be the one getting him from those damned mines."

"But you've been behind a desk for God knows how long. I'm better out in the field." That seemed to break Regina's resolve, and instead of arguing further with the blonde, she stepped closer. Emma Swan swallowed hard when she realized just _how_ close the Mayor was standing to her. She could easily see little droplets of old tears sticking to the older woman's eyelashes. It amazed her; she could never imagine Regina being sensitive enough to actually cry. The blonde found herself gazing at full, blood red lips as they moved. She couldn't even hear what the woman was saying, she just.. stared. She felt this strange urge to close the distance between her and the Mayor, and silence her. She blinked hard at that thought, and jerked her head lightly as she stepped away from the other.

"I'll get him." She simply mumbled, not even caring if it was the right response to whatever Regina Mills had just said.

* * *

All had ended well. Emma was relieved, sitting at Granny's for a drink – preferably a strong one. She had yet to order, since Ruby was chatting everyone up about how the Deputy had saved the Mayor's adoptive son and his shrink. The blonde thought it was all just a bit too much; it was her job after all, and even though she would never have admitted this out loud in front of Regina Mills – she would never want to appear weak in front of that woman - she wanted her biological son to be safe. She wanted that more than anything.

"Ruby, can I please have a scotch now?" She sighed, once the waitress was standing in front of her.

"Sure, heroine." The red-cladded girl winked as she took the bottle from a shelf. Emma simply rolled her eyes and poured it down as soon as the drink was in her hand. She really needed to take her mind off of today – Regina standing _so_ close to her was haunting her; and especially how she had felt about it. She had felt the urge to _kiss_ the woman. What the hell was that all about? She shook her head at her thoughts, as Ruby observed her quietly.

"What's up, Deputy?" The young girl asked, her curiosity poorly hidden. The blonde smiled. Everyone knew the waitress adored gossip and that she was on top of about everything. It didn't take her a long time to figure that out; but Emma could tell that the girl was being sincere. And she could use a talk. A talk with someone other than her new roommate.

"Just.. nothing important." The twenty-eight-year old mumbled, pointing at her glass to ask for another. Now it was Ruby who rolled her eyes before she took the bottle and placed it in front of Emma.

"Clearly it is, since you're obviously fussing over it."

Emma sighed.

"I just wanted to do something so bad today, and I now I can't," Emma murmured quietly, hoping no one else would hear her. "Like. Ever." She added.

"Why not? I think you should just do it. Be selfish sometimes, Deputy." Ruby said, giving the blonde a big fat wink.

The Deputy just chuckled, shaking her head lightly. If the waitress only knew just what and who she was talking about, she would say something completely different; that was for sure. She took the bottle and poured herself another glass. That was way easier.

But Ruby's words were true. Why shouldn't she just do it? Wasn't it worth the risk? Except for the fact that the Mayor had tried her best to ruin Emma's life for the past few days, just so she could get her adoptive son all for herself… And that Regina Mills actually had much more power than Emma Swan ever would blonde frowned as her inner battle continued; her rational side was fighting with her _desire_. And it felt so odd; _wanting_ to kiss the Mayor… How did that even happen? Had she been nursing a crush all this time? Well, no, that was ridiculous. Emma almost slapped herself, she was just being pathetic.

She finished her drink and stood up, her head a little light after four to-the-top-filled glasses of scotch. She scratched an itch in her hair as she walked to the door, still lost in thought.

"Laters, Ruby." She called over her shoulder as she let the door slam shut behind her. She needed to clear her head, that much was obvious. She had been thinking way, way too much. And way too much about Regina Mills, Mayor of Storybrooke.

* * *

She didn't know what she was thinking. She was being insane. Emma cursed herself loudly, stomping her feet as she momentarily panicked. Impulsively, she had gone to Regina's house and rang her doorbell. She couldn't run now, because the lights had already come on in the hallway.

"Fuck, fuck, _fuck_," Emma muttered as she hopped around nervously. She could hear shuffling on the other side of the door, and she could be facing the brunette any second now. But maybe she could run for it either way. The older woman would never know it was her, right? She had just turned around and gotten ready to make a sprint, when the door swung open.

"_Miss Swan_?" The older woman's voice sounded both surprised and irritated. Emma froze.

"Ehh. Hi." She murmured awkwardly as soon as she was facing the brunette.

"What are you doing here?" The Mayor asked then, after a moment of silence. The blonde couldn't respond; she had opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She just stared at the woman before her; she was in her pyjamas, obviously silk and classy. She looked so free, so careless. So absolutely beautiful, even though she clearly had been woken up from her sleep.

"If you are here for Henry, you should be ashamed –" The brunette began, but Emma shook her head sharply. The older woman swallowed the rest of her sentence as the Deputy strutted closer and pushed her against the door frame. Before both women realized it, Emma's lips were crashing down on the Mayor's. The blonde closed her eyes and pushed her body into the other woman's. It felt so right, yet so wrong. It made her hungry for more, especially when the brunette stopped hesitating and kissed her back.


	6. Chapter 5 - Part 2

***I do not own any of these characters. If there are any dialogues taken from the episodes literally, I do not own these either.***

**A/N: Here is the second part to chapter five, as promised. And again as promised – more SQ moments. Thank you for still reading this. Reviews and messages are always welcome! Enjoy.**

Chapter 5 – Part two

She was kissing the Mayor. _She_, Emma Swan – a complete nobody compared to the other woman -, was _kissing_ Regina Mills, Mayor of Storybrooke. The woman who had purposely tried to get rid of her so she could have her adoptive son all for herself. She was _kissing_ that woman.

She couldn't believe it. At all. But there she was. Her hands were gripping at the thin, silk fabrics that Regina was wearing. She was pushing her body up against the other's. Her lips were pressed against full, red ones firmly, nipping at them hungrily. They were fighting over dominance over the kiss, and neither of them were losing. For Emma, it wasn't even a battle anymore; in her mind, she had already won: this was what she had been secretly hoping for ever since earlier that day. If she was to be completely honest, it didn't meet her expectations; no; it exceeded them.

After a way too short time, for Emma, they broke apart for air. The blonde peered into ebony eyes, trying to find an emotion in them. She couldn't really tell what Regina was thinking or feeling; but she doubted it would be hatred. She knew that she wasn't feeling any anger anymore; the kiss had washed every reluctant feeling towards the older woman away. Emma couldn't help but smile smugly as the Mayor leaned in for another kiss. This time, it was sweeter, shorter; barely a peck on the lips.

"Perhaps you would like to take this inside?" Emma murmured softly, flinching at how hoarse her voice sounded. God, it was as if she wasn't used to _anything_. But then again, the blonde thought, nothing could ever compare to this. She stared intently at Regina's face while she waited for an answer; and became nervous as the silence lingered on.

"_Miss Swan,_" Regina whispered, and the blonde's heart immediately dropped. Back to 'Miss Swan' again. Great.

"I think you should go."

Emma noticed how fragile the other woman sounded, but in that moment she didn't care one bit. She felt rejected. So she merely shrugged and stomped away, determined to win this new game Regina had just started between them. Regina Mills wanted to play hard to get? Fine.

* * *

Emma Swan had never realized just how much she spent her day thinking about Regina before, until she tried not to with all her might. But no matter how hard she tried, her mind often drifted off to the woman she had just shared a very, very intimate kiss with; and it was triggered by the simplest things. Just now, she was staring at a chair. A black chair, and that color curiously matched the color of the Mayor's hair. Earlier that day, someone had mentioned a meeting, and her mind had immediately linked it to a town meeting, obviously lead by the Mayor.

It was driving her insane. So when she was invited to David Nolan's 'welcome back', aka 'welcome back to life, it was friggen scary to find you in a puddle in the woods when you were supposed to be in a coma', party she said yes right away.

Which explained why she was now impatiently waiting for Mary Margaret to finally come home so she could drag her along.

"Hey, roomie!" Emma chirped cheerfully as soon as the door closed behind the teacher. "Up for a party?"

She grinned broadly, not yet registering that Mary Margaret was biting her lip nervously. But then she did. Of course she had heard of David Nolan's party. Everyone had.

"Actually, ahh –" The teacher began, and Emma's mood dropped. "I'm not. It's too weird."

Emma sighed. She could understand. She wouldn't want to go to a party if Regina was there, too. She hadn't seen the older woman since their kiss, and she wasn't trying to find her either. It was Regina who had turned her down; not the other way around. It was up to _her_ to find her and make amends. Stupid, power-tripping, incredibly sexy – Emma blinked. Mind had drifted again, and caused her to miss the rest of Mary Margaret's explanation. It didn't matter anyway, she thought. She'd just take Henry – she knew he was dying to go, still trying to connect his teacher to David.

The blonde slipped her body off the kitchen chair, about to go upstairs and change into something more fit for a 'party', and dragged her feet up the stairs. When she came into the kitchen a little while later, she found her roommate sulking in the same chair she had sat on.

"Are you sure you don't want to come? Or do you want me to stay in? I can do that, you know." Emma offered, frowning at the blank expression on the girl's face. It almost seemed like she had never been hurt before.

"No, it's fine. I'll manage." The teacher replied softly, and gratefully, a small smile on her lips. Emma nodded once; she wasn't going to argue. She had to leave now, she was meeting Henry at Granny's, and they'd walk to the party together. The kid would, no doubt, want to update her on Operation Cobra, and for once she welcomed that eagerly – anything to take her mind off... Emma grumbled internally and cursed her mind. She silently cursed the Mayor.

She left Mary Margaret and the apartment quietly and locked the door behind her. She was looking forward to spending a little time with her son; he hadn't been allowed to go outside much after the mine fiasco. Regina had been furious, and so had she. So for once she hadn't argued against the adoptive mother of her son. She had been freaked out just as much – and especially by the events of later that night. She sighed, there she was thinking about that more than perfect kiss…

Lost in thoughts, she had barely noticed that she had arrived at Granny's. It was Henry's cheerful cry that shook her from her thoughts.

"Hey, kid." She smiled. She had missed him. Henry wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed, while she merely patted his head. She really wasn't into that whole let's-hug-it-off ritual yet. She liked to keep her distance… usually.

"Ready to go?" She asked as they started walking to Kathryn and David's house. She didn't know them at all. In fact, Emma figured she had only been invited because she had been there when the man was found. She was curious though – she felt like she had to spy on them just a _little_, for her roommate's sake. Know what the competition's like, really. In the meanwhile, Henry gave her a brief update on his achievements – which were none – and rambled on about how stupid it was that he had been grounded – which it wasn't.

"Mom's going to be so angry that I'm there with you, though," Henry grinned smugly, and in that moment he really resembled the blonde. She blinked. What?

"How would she know?" Emma sniffed haughtily. Please, the woman was the Mayor, and friends in all places – but she wouldn't find out until tomorrow, soonest. Right?

"Because she's going to be there. Mom's helping Kathryn. Something about emotional aid or I don't know, it was hard to catch through the door."

Emma chuckled at first. It was so like Henry to eavesdrop on his mother all the time; but then she realized what else he had said. She stopped in her tracks. Regina Mills was going to be at the party she was going to; the same party she was going to, to get away from Regina Mills. Emma closed her eyes and bit her lips, cursing hard internally. How could she space out on that possibility? Not even a possibility. Practically a certainty. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

"Emma?" Henry had turned around, waiting for her with his eyebrows raised curiously.

She couldn't excuse herself anymore without seeming petty. She would just have to suck it up and go… She took a deep breath and nodded to herself, tucking her hands into her pockets – she had to sulk somehow.

"Fine. Let's go to the damn party." She muttered, annoyed now. She knew that her mood-change would seem bizarre to Henry, but there was no way that she was going to explain just why she didn't want to see his adoptive mother. She hoped that he would blame it on their fights.

It was a relief that Regina was nowhere to be seen when they entered the house. She probably was somewhere in the background, pulling strings. Emma let out a sigh and smiled at Henry beside her before she walked over to their hosts.

"David," Emma greeted the man, offering him a hand. He took it and shook it gently.

"Emma. Henry," He greeted the both of them. Emma laid a hand on Henry's shoulder protectively. She didn't want him to get lost in the crowd. Quite a few people had turned up; curious, Emma thought, since no one had ever visited him in the hospital. Nevertheless, she smiled politely at everyone – even the ones she didn't know.

"So, ehh," David started nervously, and the blonde could already tell that he would subtly inquire about Mary Margaret now. Henry could too, because he grinned up at her.

"Isn't Miss Blanchard coming?" He finally asked, and Emma shook her head.

"I'm sorry, she wasn't feeling well." She felt like she needed to make up an excuse; she would have to warn her roommate about it later, when they would undoubtingly discuss the party over a cup of hot cocoa.

A little while later, David had to excuse himself from the conversation to welcome other guests, and Emma and Henry were left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, that's when Emma saw the Mayor emerge from the kitchen. It took exactly five seconds for the dark-haired woman to spot them. She already seemed angry and her face was distorted in a scowl. Emma rolled her eyes as the woman strutted towards them, and she rapidly pinched Henry in the shoulder as to warn him.

"_Miss Swan_," Regina Mills immediately spit at her the moment they stood face to face. "Weren't you aware that my son has been grounded?"

"I was." Emma answered coolly – there was no way she would treat the Mayor kindly if she was going to pretend nothing happened. "He is supervised though. So there should be no harm."

Regina's eyes burned into hers, and once more Emma felt nervous. Her stomach was swarming. But she would not give in – not this time. If the older woman wanted hot and cold, she would get it. Heck, she would show her how it's really done. Instead of continuing the stare-down, Emma smiled politely and excused herself. She shot an apologetic look at Henry as she fled into the crowd. He'd be fine with his mother, but she wouldn't.

Talking to the people at the party was a great pastime. She didn't feel bored for a second; the conversations were empty, but it was nice to be out and socialize for once. She felt like she hardly knew anyone in Storybrooke, and she had a vague suspicion the Mayor had something to do with that. But now, she was free and able to change that. Except for the many angry looks the brunette shot her, she was having a great time.

She was safe for a little while, but perhaps an hour after she had fled into the crowd, the Mayor found her again.

"A word, please, _Miss Swan_," The Mayor sounded like she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, so Emma let herself be guided out of the room. As much as she wanted to ignore Regina, she didn't want to cause a scene. She followed Regina into the kitchen, where she waited for whatever she was going to blamed for.

Instead, Regina turned around and crushed her lips against Emma's again. The blonde frowned in confusion; she did _not_ expect that to happen. She didn't kiss her back at first; she wanted to make a statement. She wasn't going to be treated like… whatever she was being treated as. She pulled away quickly.

"You act like nothing happened." Regina said softly after a moment of silence. The blonde watched the brunette's face carefully. She seemed sincere. Her face was soft, open; not hostile like other times. It confused her. But then she remembered that she wouldn't let Regina play her like that.

Emma merely shrugged and turned away. She wasn't going to give in just like that. If Regina wanted her, she would have to fight for her. She marched out of the kitchen and found Henry to tell him she was leaving. She had seen enough of the party – and enough of Regina Mills.

* * *

Her situation had not changed at all since the party: Emma was fighting against every thought about Regina; but unfortunately she wasn't as strong as she thought to be. Once more, she found herself agreeing to everything, as long as it provided distraction.

She was driving around town in a patrol car, having taken over Graham's night shift because he told her he had to volunteer at the animal shelter. She didn't mind now; she had regretted agreeing at first, but now that she was cruising around – something that she actually liked to do – she was enjoying it. She felt important. Earlier tonight she had already dropped a drunk Leroy off at the Sheriff's station, and locked him up for the night. It was starting to be a ritual, finding him somewhere causing trouble because he had drank one too many beers. She snickered as she remembered his slurred, sarcastic remarks as she locked him up. It was amusing; and it would never get old.

She had put off driving past the Mayoral Mansion several times now, because she was afraid that she would want to stop by the house and check on the Mayor; something that she vowed not to do anymore after the night they first kissed. It would be ridiculous and it would make her seem desperate – it was the opposite that she wanted: to act like she didn't care at all. Yet, she did. She hadn't seen Regina since the party two days ago, and she was looking for her everywhere. It made her feel restless. She had to bring the dark-haired woman subtly during one of her chats with Henry, but he had just frowned and shrugged. No useful information. But Emma knew she couldn't put it off any longer; she had to patrol through that street as well. She put on her direction pointer and tugged on the wheel to steer the car into the lane and slowly drove through it. As she was passing the huge house where Henry and his adoptive mother lived, she glanced over. And saw a shadow climbing out of a window. Her heart stopped. Was Regina in danger? She stomped on her brake and came to a stop right away – she was driving slowly anyway – and bolted out of the car, not even bothering to close the door behind her. She cursed internally as she realized that she _hadn't_ thought of Henry first; which she should have.

"Hey, you!" She yelled, not caring if she woke anyone up. If she did, there would be more on-lookers and less chance that the burglar got away. The figure turned around and she squinted her eyes, her right hand reaching for her gun.

"Emma!" She heard the figure mumble in surprise. She, too, was confused now. She shook her head bewilderedly and blinked as she could now make out a face. Graham?

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" She snarled through gritted teeth. Had she taken over his patrol for a lie? Why wasn't he at the animal shelter? What was going on? Curiosity and anger were fighting.

"Please, I can explain.." He hesitated, as if he wasn't going to explain. This enraged Emma even more.

"Why were you climbing out of that house?" Emma asked, trying to remain calm. Though she was starting to connect the dots, and she didn't like the guessed answer. Graham gave her a look that confirmed her assumptions. She pulled a disgusted face and shook her head to get the idea out of her mind.

"With Henry in the house?" She asked, her voice now sounding shrill.

"He doesn't know. I promise. Please, Emma –" He tried, but Emma shook her head again.

"I'm not doing _any_ of your shifts anymore." She stomped to the car and pulled out the keys, tossing them in his way. She didn't care if he caught them or not. She was getting out of here – probably to a pub, to get drunk. She felt like she was scarred for life.

"I so wish I was Henry right now." She muttered, still shaking her head, as she turned her back at the Sheriff, ignoring his pleads. She tucked her hands deep into her pocket, only allowing herself to actually feel what she was supposed to feel when she had turned into the next street: betrayal. Perhaps even heart break.

Barely twenty-four hours after Regina had kissed _her_ at the party, she had slept with Graham; something they apparently often did. She pulled a disgusted face again, tears stinging in her eyes. And with _Graham_… She had actually _liked_ Graham. And she had felt like the Sheriff had liked her too, because he had gone through so much trouble to defy the Mayor for her… But perhaps that was the price he had to pay – per argument, one night…

She felt like she was going to throw up. She didn't want to see either of them anymore.


	7. Chapter 6

***I do not own any of these characters. If there are any dialogues taken from the episodes literally, I do not own these either.***

**A/N: I know it's been a while again… I hope this chapter makes up for that. I promise my updates will come sooner from now on!**

Chapter 6

_Graham died. And it's all my fault._

Emma kept thinking that over and over again. She knew, deep down, that it couldn't be her fault, but she still felt responsible. She felt like her love killed – or made them leave. It happened with Henry's father. It happened with Graham now. Maybe _she_ was cursed.

It had been two weeks now since that fatal moment; just seconds before that moment everything had seemed more than perfect: she had kissed Graham, convinced that he was a decent person after all – and just slept with Regina for some stupid reason – and that he deserved a chance to win her heart. She _liked_ him. He had seemed so happy, his lips nipping forcefully at hers. She didn't flinch away that time. She let him and let herself enjoy it. He had whispered something she now had forgotten – it didn't seem that important anymore – and then he had collapsed. Out of nowhere.

Emma shook her head fiercely. She couldn't allow herself to drift now… She was on her way to the Mayoral Mansion to announce her candidature for Sheriff, after being tipped off by Mr. Gold. She had a weird feeling about Mr. Gold coming to her about it; it was nagging her. But she shrugged it off: she owed it to Graham to take up his responsibilities and ensure that Storybrooke wasn't as corrupted anymore as before. Normally, she would have been allowed to just take on the job, but that _damn_ Regina Mills had prevented that successfully, waving around with the town rules book.

But just as Regina had found a loophole, so had Mr. Gold, after Emma had gone to him. She still felt unsure about that decision, but she couldn't back out of it anymore now.

Emma grimaced and checked her face in the rearview mirror. A bruise had completely disappeared from her face. But she still remembered the feeling of Regina Mills' fist hitting her in the face, after being very territorial about Graham. It stung her that Regina had fought so fiercely over the Sherriff; hadn't they shared an intimate kiss? Or was she being used for affection, just as Graham had been used for… She stopped her thoughts there, finally ready to get out of her car. She had parked right in front of the huge building, and she didn't care if she 'blocked' anything, as she was sure the Mayor would accuse her of doing. The blonde already grinned as she imagined the Mayor's expression at her announcement.

She burst through the door, not bothering with knocking or being polite altogether.

"Hold that cow!" She yelled as she saw photographers taking Sydney Glass' pictures. Regina was holding his hand in a shake, posing. Her eyes narrowed at the contact. She had seen the dark-skinned man a few times around, but didn't quite like his attitude. She didn't like their apparent close bond either. Emma grumbled inwardly at her jealous thoughts. She ought to put the older, dark-haired woman from her mind. And she was trying desperately so.

"I am running for Sherriff too." She announced loudly. "The town rules book says the Mayor can only support a candidate, not actually appoint a new Sherriff."

Regina's confident mask faltered for one second, but the blonde had seen it. She allowed a smug smirk to form on her face, gloating on her victory. That was one blow back – one more to go.

* * *

The campaign had been brutal. The town had taken sides, and were practically running the campaigns. Emma wanted to stay far away from all of that, and was focusing on her debate with Sydney, that was actually taking place the following day.

She sighed. She could never win this by herself. That's why she had accepted Mr. Gold's help in the first place, even though it went against all her principles, but she hadn't heard from the man in days. She felt like she was going to drown.

Her phone startled her.

"_Miss Swan_," An all-too-familiar voice barked at her through the phone. "I wish to discuss something tonight. Be at my office at seven."

She heard the click of Regina hanging up even before she could say 'Okay.' or 'No.' and it irritated the hell out of Emma Swan; she would go there tonight, if only to tell the Mayor to stop treating her like an animal.

She spent the next few hours working on a few basic things to say in the debate, but she wasn't as good with words as she liked to believe. She sighed loudly. Her thoughts kept flicking back to Madame Mayor and her demanding tone. The blonde was fuming.

When the time finally came to leave to the office, she quickly gathered her things and dropped them on the backseat of her car outside. She crawled into the driver's seat and almost had to kickstart the yellow bug, as per usual. She grinned as the engine came to life, and shifted the gear with the force it needed.

On her way to see Regina Mills, she tapped the steering wheel impatiently, her rage somehow building more and more.

She let herself in, not bothering with knocking or anything. If Regina was going to treat her like a dog, she wasn't going to do things politely. She stomped up the stairs, wanting her annoyance to be seen – or in this case, heard.

"What did you want from me?" Emma promptly said, not bothering to say 'hi' first. Neither had the Mayor done earlier.

Regina was sitting at her desk, filling out some forms or whatever they were, and looked up at the blonde slowly. Emma Swan swallowed hard, suddenly nervous under the dark eyes' stare. She felt the tension coming from the Mayor, and instantly the blonde knew they would fight; perhaps even physically.

"_Miss Swan_," The dark woman's voice sounded heavily annoyed, and Emma became even more nervous, her hands now fidgeting with her jacket's zipper. Madame Mayor did not continue her sentence though and returned to filling out some papers. The blonde clenched her jaw. This was a typical I'm-in-power-here-and-you-shall-wait-until-I'm-ready move. She hated when people did that; because she never had another choice than to obey. And she refused to this time.

She walked to the desk with a lot of stomping, proceeding in trying to be as annoying as possible, and placed her hands on the desk, arms wide, her torso hanging over the most part of it.

"_Madame Mayor_," She mimicked the other woman, her eyes dropping to red, lush lips. In response, the Mayor leaned back, creating more distance between the two.

"Did you love him?" She harshly asked. Emma blinked, clearly confused. Of course she knew that the older woman was talking about Graham; but she couldn't figure out _why_ Regina would ever want to know that… Did it even matter?

"Did _you_?" She shot back, at a loss of what else to say. She saw the Mayor's lips curl up into a cold smile, and Emma upright herself as the older woman got up from her desk chair, walking around the wooden furniture to stand before Emma.

A hand on her arm flipped her around, the edge of the desk itching her back. A gasp escaped her and then the lush, red lips she had been watching earlier were crashing down onto her pale, thin lips. Regina's teeth raked her lower lip and she couldn't help but shiver. This was nothing like the careful, soft kisses that Graham had given her before he died; this was pull-push, passionate domination over each other. She groaned into the kiss, her hands clawing at the Mayor's sides. Her heart fluttered, and then she pushed the older woman away.

They stood apart, eyeing each other, both breathing heavily. It was as if Regina's dark eyes had turned a shade darker, and it gave Emma goose bumps. _Predator_ was all she could think as she watched Regina; she half expected the woman to start circling her.

"Perhaps we should take this somewhere else, _Miss Swan_." The Mayor purred, her voice low and husky. Emma Swan swallowed again and nodded. She didn't know what was up with the older woman – but she sure as hell understood that very moment that saying 'no' would not suffice. And honestly, she kind of didn't want to say no…

She followed Regina to the door, and waited for the woman to open it – but as soon as the door was open, an explosion threw them both back. Emma crashed into the desk she had been pushed into a few minutes earlier, her vision blackened. There was a deafening ring her ears, caused by the bang of the explosion. Black smoke was now filling the room and Emma sniffed, then coughed. She shook her head to get rid of the little specks of light and colour that were dancing in her vision.

"Ouch!" She heard a soft murmur, and she now focused on getting out of the building. The fire was down in the hall, but the force of the explosion must have been very large to have thrown them back. She hurried over to the Mayor, looking for blood on the floor. She exhaled, relieved, when she saw none.

"Come on, we have to get out of here." She held her hand out for the dark-haired woman, and pulled her up when she took it.

"Ow! _Miss Swan_!" Regina cried out as she put her weight on her foot. Emma frowned. Probably a sprained ankle. She shrugged and put her shoulder under the woman's arm, dragging her out of the office. The fire was spreading quickly, and so was the black smoke. She already felt like she was suffocating, especially now she had to make an effort supporting the other woman.

Their way was blocked with more fire, and the heat was scorching the hair on her arms and face. The stench of burning hair was already filling the air and Emma puffed. She had to set Regina down and look for a fire extinguisher.

"Hang on," She mumbled as she set the Mayor down carefully, ignoring the cries of 'what do you think you're doing!' and 'don't you leave me here!'  
She rolled her eyes. How could she ever do that to _anyone_? She felt queasy and uneasy anyway if she even dared to think about leaving Regina Mills, incredibly annoying and _stunning_ woman, in a burning building. It didn't feel right. It would eat away at her conscience. Right? She pressed her lips into a thin line and searched the room for the object she was looking for, but saw nothing. She turned around, searching the walls behind her, and facepalmed herself pretty hard when she saw it hanging next to the door. Of course. Moron.

She ripped it from the wall, not bothering with just lifting it from its holder, and rushed back to Regina. The woman was still looking for her, and she seemed pretty furious to Emma. She sighed, she'd hear about that later. She ignored her for now and started extinguishing the flames blocking their path. When they were much smaller, she offered her hand to Regina again and lifted her, fire extinguisher in her other hand. Her shirt was soaked with sweat and blackened with soothe, but she didn't care. Her face probably looked even worse, but all she could think about was getting Regina out safely. She dragged the older woman outside and let go of her, suddenly very conscious about how _close _they were standing.

"Put me down _gently_!" Regina Mills, completely out of breath and covered with soothe as well but still stunning, hissed.

"Seriously? I just saved your gorgeous ass, _Madame Mayor_," The blonde shot back. "Less complaining."

People were already swarming the street and Emma wasn't looking forward to talking to anyone, and she was thankful to God that Mary Margaret chose that moment to hover; she took the chance to escape Sydney Glass – the newspaper's editor.

* * *

"It's a wonderful thing that you saved the Mayor, Emma!" Mary Margaret chirped cheerfully. "Now you certainly will win the election!"

Emma sighed, tired of all the assumptions. Her roommate wasn't the first to suggest or think that she saved the older woman for publicity. She'd never even think of using it that way… She was horrified that the talk would reach the Mayor, and that she would seek revenge on her for it. Emma bit her lip.

"I didn't do it for publicity!" She repeated herself for the umpteenth time, anger building within her.

"Why then?" Ruby asked curiously, cleaning the counter they were sitting at. Emma needed a drink after that fiasco at the Mayor's office, and she had dragged Mary Margaret straight here; she had hoped to escape gossip for a while, but Granny's was already buzzing with the news. Apparently, gossip spread a lot faster than the fire had around this town.

"That's such an awful thing to ask, Ruby!" Her roommate reprimanded the waitress, and Emma grinned widely.

"Yeah, it is, Ruby!" She joked. She sighed. Who was she kidding? She did it because.. well, she couldn't think of _not_ doing it. Who else would she argue with so passionately, aggressively? She groaned; she needed another drink.

She felt guilty. She had a strong feeling that the fire wasn't a coincidence… She had seen Mr. Gold working with extremely flammable things in his shop earlier… She remembered because it had this horrible smell. She never wanted to smell that again, no matter what. Yet, she had caught a hint of it when she had stumbled out of the burning building, with Regina leaning on her shoulder. Emma trusted to follow her hunches; so she would pay a visit to the old man later, or tomorrow perhaps. She was sporting a serious head ache, and she wasn't planning to stop drinking anytime soon. Most likely, she would be leaning on Mary Margaret later that night. She smiled into her glass and emptied it in one swallow, waving Ruby off for another one.

Clicking of high heels on the tiles had her turn around as she waited for the waitress to return with another drink – she hadn't even heard the bell signaling when someone came in, so she frowned to herself. Maybe that _should_ be her last drink.

"_Miss Swan_," A harsh yet hoarse voice called. Emma's heart sank as she saw the Mayor stalking into her direction. "A word please?"

Reluctantly, Emma slid off her stool and followed the older woman outside, where she expected her to stop; but Regina continued on, turning a corner. All of a sudden, she stopped, turning to face the blonde.

"What do you want, Regina?" The blonde sighed when the other woman simply stared. It had been a long day and she just longed for her bed by now. She wasn't in the mood for the Mayor's power plays and mind games.

"Thank you, Emma." Emma's mouth hung open in shock as soon as she registered the whisper coming from Regina Mills. Was she really thanking her? She blinked, dumbstruck. Her surprise grew even bigger when the older woman stepped closer to press a firm yet gentle kiss to her cheek and simply walked away in the direction they came from. Emma stood there, her mind foggy with alcohol and her heart fluttering. What an odd day.

* * *

She knew it. Mr. Gold had set fire to the Mayor's office. How he had known that she would be there at that time, she didn't know. Maybe he hadn't cared about whether or not the Mayor made it out alive, she'd no doubt gotten a call into the Sheriff's station and hurried over and at least _tried_ to save the Mayor. Maybe that sufficed for the old man. But it didn't for her. She felt disgusting, a foul taste in her mouth. This wasn't doing the right thing, playing it the right way; she didn't want to sneak in a victory. She wanted to earn it; she wanted the people of Storybrooke to want her as their Sheriff.

Emma Swan was pacing. She was in the Town Hall's court, backstage, pacing away her nerves. She couldn't drop out now. That'd be worse than admitting that she had an advantage because of arson.

She wrung her hands, and peeked through the curtains. Henry was there, front row, sitting next to his mother. She couldn't help but smile; she really didn't want to let him down, and she wouldn't. She'd just come out and say it – Mr. Gold committed arson, and therefore she would withdraw from the election. There was no way she would win anyway, if she came out clean.

Her eyes trailed from her son to his mother; she remembered their moment last night. Regina had seemed so vulnerable, so sincere. Once she had gotten over the shock, she found that she had enjoyed it more that she should. She liked to see that other side of the uptight, cold woman. She knew the older woman had it in her, and no matter how much she enjoyed getting a rise out of her, this side she would like to see more.

"It's time." Archie nodded as they drew away the curtains and the shrink took the stage. Emma felt nauseated. She'd never excelled at speaking in front of a large crowd and seemingly the whole time had turned up for this. Whether it was to see her or Sydney Glass, she was unsure.

Sydney took the first turn and as she listened to his speech, she wondered if telling the truth would be the right thing after all. Her eyes darted back to Henry. Maybe if she'd just lie, go with it, flaunt her heroism in their faces, she'd get elected. Once Sheriff, Regina would surely allow her near Henry more, wouldn't she? There'd be no reason to keep her away. She'd literally be the safest person around. Ish.

Nodding to herself, her mind made up, she walked up to the microphone and cleared her throat in a rather clichéd, loud manner.

"Good morning, citizens of Storybrooke," She smiled and paused, taking her time to take in all the faces. Mary Margaret had stayed up late with her and had given her tips on how to speak in front of an audience; Emma had the idea that the pixie-haired woman had no clue whatsoever, but she had taken the advice anyway – she could use everything at her disposal.

"I stand here in front of you—" She sighed, eyes now glued to the papers she was holding in her hand. They were ruffled, she was clenching her fists in them. She relaxed her hands and took a deep breath. Her conscience simply wouldn't allow herself to lie.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry. The fire was arson; Mr. Gold somehow set fire to the building. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I knew I was elected over a lie." She held up her chin in the air, her face soft as she said it. She didn't dare to look at the kid, but she did anyway. He was smiling. She blinked in confusion when she saw it and then her eyes found the Mayor's darkened eyes. They were furious. Involuntary, Emma stepped back, flinching at the anger she saw there. She swallowed hard and made her way backstage. She so didn't want to face anyone now, so she took the back exit and hurried to the diner to drink away her troubles.

Flying through the door and over the streets, she soon heard light footsteps following her.

"Wait!" A voice called, and she paused so the person could catch up with her.

"Henry—" She looked down at the kid. "I'm sorry."

Henry shrugged, which irked her even more. What in hell was going on? This wasn't the reaction a kid should have.

"We'll find a way. Good always wins." He said, more to himself than to the blonde. Emma simply rolled her eyes and led the way to the diner, where they sat at the bar. They ordered – drink for Emma, cocoa for Henry – and just as they were placed in front of their noses, the Mayor stormed in with Sydney at her side.

"I'm not surprised to see you here. With a drink. And my son." Regina's voice sounded strained, as if she was using all her willpower to keep calm and civil while she just wanted to slap Emma's face off. The blonde didn't dare meet her eyes. Not even when Regina announced that she had won the election, there was no reaction from the blonde; she was ashamed. And Regina would probably be hurt. Ashamed herself. She didn't know where to start apologizing, explaining that she _didn't know_. It wouldn't matter.

* * *

Becoming Sheriff had proven to be a huge, _huge_ mistake. In between having a smug Mr. Gold at her door, reminding her that she now _owed_ him, struggling to reunite twin orphans with their father and apparently being framed into trying to frame Regina Mills, she was desperate.

Emma Swan was desperate over the events of the last week. It had been extremely busy. So extremely busy that she went to work, came home, ate and just crashed where she stood. Even if she hadn't been threatened to stay as far away from her kid as possible, she wouldn't have had the time to see him anyway. Emma bit her lip at the memory of him.

After trying to reveal that Regina Mills was using town money for her own purposes, she had only truly realized the power that the Mayor had. Sydney had lured her into a trap and she had walked into it with open eyes; he was good, she would give him that. But now she was furious. She knew that the Mayor had a few tricks up her sleeve, but so did she. So the next day, she had handed Henry a walkie-talkie. With a wink, she had retreated. That night, after she had crashed on her bed face-first, she had heard it crackle; and so they had talked through it, efficiently finding a way to get around Regina.

But that only fueled her hate fire. She wanted to _see_ him. Really see him.

The opportunity came and she seized it with both hands; it came in the form of Mr. Gold in a jail cell and Regina Mills wanting to speak with him. It earned her thirty minutes and she had enjoyed every second of it.

But if she thought that the town was finding a peaceful pace after its week of chaos and drama, she was mistaken. The next morning, the call came: Kathryn Nolan was missing.

In between work, she had had little time to catch up with Mary Margaret, apart from finding out that she had shared a kiss with David and saw him at the diner every morning. Emma had expressed her disapproval, but who was she to judge? After all, she too liked to flirt. Only the one she liked to flirt with was giving her a very cold shoulder.

Her eyes narrowed as she followed Regina Mills' form as she retreated from the diner with a white paper bag in hand.

Emma Swan was taking her lunch break and was enjoying a bearclaw. She hoped to get home early tonight so she could have a serious talk with Mary Margaret Blanchard about Mrs Nolan's disappearance. She doubted the pixie-haired woman had something to do with it, but she was known to have an affair with her husband and had been slapped and humiliated in front of the whole school by the missing woman… So procedure forced her to do it. She had decided that talking to her off the record would probably be wiser.

She had talked to David Nolan this morning; he said he didn't remember anything and her 'superpower' hadn't detected a lie there. He claimed he was home all night and she had let him go for now. There was no evidence against him, though she would start looking into it after lunch.

Her peace was interrupted in the form of a handsome-looking man. She narrowed her eyes at him too. The stranger, as she liked to call him – he had given her no name when she asked -, had a flirty and mysterious nature and it intrigued her. And she knew that he perfectly knew that. She smiled politely at her.

"Are you here to buy me that drink you conned me into agreeing with?" She asked, teasing smirk on her face. The man carried around a box, he had it with him now, and a few days ago she had asked him about it – if he told her, she had to go for a drink with him. She had accepted, not caring. It wasn't as if she was dating anyone. It was Regina Mills' fault anyway – _she_ had ordered to keep an eye on the stranger. For Henry's sake. So she would let the man buy her a drink. For Henry's sake.

"No. But how about you tell me about Storybrooke's next mystery?" The man smiled back, his eyes twinkling boyishly. Emma Swan chuckled and shook her head, curls flipping violently through the air.

"I'm afraid that's disclosed information." She said it with a wink, so he wouldn't feel offended. She didn't even know why she cared about the man's feelings. She buried her face in her hot cocoa for a sip.

"Well then. I hope you're looking in the right places. But be careful. Maybe there's more power involved than you realize." The man stood up from the booth and took his box, pausing before he walked away.

"I wouldn't want you to miss your drink with me."

Emma Swan was left behind, dumbstruck. Did that man just insinuate that Regina Mills had something to do with it? She _had_ heard the rumors about this huge fight between the Mayor and Kathryn Nolan before the woman went missing. But seriously?

* * *

Emma was incredibly nervous. Since August had planted the thought of Regina being involved in Storybrooke's recent mystery, she hadn't been able to let it go. She _had_ to know.

So Emma had waited in front of Town Hall since the end of her shift until Regina Mills finished up her office work and went home. The blonde sat on a bench under a mighty oak, her toes scraping over the stone tiles underneath her as she swayed her legs back and forth. She bit her lower lip, trying to distract herself from the confrontation that was about to go down.

Finally she caught the faint clicking sounds of heels on tiles and Emma jumped up, appearing in sight. Her emerald eyes locked on the front entrance and she saw the brunette sigh as their eyes locked on one another.

"_Miss Swan_, what are you doing here?" Regina sounded strained, absolutely exhausted. The blonde tried to ignore the fact that this would be the first time they talked to one another, alone, since the fire. She pressed her lips into a thin line and marched closer to the woman.

"Can we talk?" Emma inquired, fighting hard to keep a nervous tremble out of her voice.

"I was under the impression we already were," The Mayor's snark was ever present and Emma rolled her eyes openly. "But yes, come this way."

They entered the building again, Emma following Regina, and the brunette led them to a small room, presumably where small meetings were held. The blonde looked around the room for a moment before she closed the door behind her. In that time, Regina had already turned to face the blonde, her face impassive.

The twenty-eight year old remained quiet for a second, not sure how to breach the subject. She felt like she would be shredded to pieces if she'd even _suggest_ the Mayor being involved in the whole scandal. But she _had_ to know. She needed to know if that writer had been bluffing, or messing with her mind, or whatever.

"I don't have all day," Regina reminded the Sheriff harshly. "I have a son to get home to."

Emma nodded once. And then decided to use a whole different tactic. She started stalking closer to the older woman, her emerald eyes raking up and down the other woman's body seductively. She had been missing the Mayor, she now realized, so what would the harm be..?

Finally she had stepped into the brunette's personal space, her arms hesitantly reaching out to lay on Regina's sides. She dipped in closer and pressed her lips to the woman's cheek. She now started peppering kisses all over the brunette's jaw line, trailing her way to the corner of her mouth and back again, up to her ear to nip her lobe. All the while, she smirked, especially when she noticed that Regina had closed her eyes in delight.

"I was wondering-" Emma started, her lips murmuring against toned skin. "If you would-" She paused again to press another kiss to the brunette's skin, and trailed her kisses closer to the woman's full, red lips. "go out with me."

The blonde finished and pressed her lips gently to the other woman's lips. She felt Regina's surprise as she felt the woman's lips part underneath hers. Smugly, she seized the opportunity to flick her tongue at the brunette's. Emma pulled at the Mayor's silk blouse, trying to get the woman closer to her; Regina complied and for a minute, they lost themselves in the kiss.

But then Emma pulled apart abruptly, stepping away from the brunette's body altogether.

"Well?" She asked, tapping her feet a little impatiently.

"Pick me up at seven. Saturday." The Mayor said, taking on her business tone. Emma nodded once and started to retreat from the room. "Don't be late."

The Sheriff snickered before she left the brunette by herself in the room.

Complete change of tactics, Emma thought, but it couldn't hurt. Maybe she would be able to subtly pry information about the Mayor's involvement during the date.

**A/N:** **So, Kathryn's disappearance will slightly differ from canon. You'll see. Thanks for reading and feel free to review!**


End file.
